WA unemployment lowest for 14 years

10/4/03
Western Australia's unemployment rate is the lowest it has been for 14 years, Premier Geoff Gallop said today.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures for March show WA has the lowest unemployment rate of 5.4 per cent, equal to November 1989.
WA's unemployment rate is almost a full percentage point below the national rate of 6.2 per cent.
"The March employment figure is further good news for WA and comes on the heels of the latest ANZ job survey," Dr Gallop said.
"It showed the number of job advertisements in WA was the highest in 33 months.
"During the last quarter, employment in this State increased by 1.0 per cent - this means 9,500 jobs were created for Western Australians.
"Importantly full-time jobs are up - growing by 2.1 per cent during the quarter."
Dr Gallop said during the 12 months to March, employment grew by 2.3 per cent, better than the Treasury's December forecast of 2.0 per cent growth.
He said the Government was committed to creating new jobs and new opportunities for Western Australians.
"In a world of global economic uncertainty these employment figures are great news for all Western Australians," the Premier said.
"It's clear that WA is leading the nation too in economic growth. This is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that the State economy was in contraction when we took office.
"WA is clearly on target to create 125,000 new jobs over five years so if you want a job, WA is the best place to be."
Premier's office: 9222 9475