Regional Victoria is benefiting from thousands of new jobs, with the state’s regional unemployment rate the lowest recorded in the nation.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data released today shows Victoria’s regional unemployment rate is just
4.6 per cent – well below the national average of 5.4 per cent.
Victoria’s regional areas also had the strongest full-time employment growth in the nation, with 26,200 people finding full-time work – more than half of all the full-time jobs created in regional Australia in the past year.
In the three months to March alone, Victoria’s regional areas bucked the national trend, gaining an extra 6,200 jobs, while nationally, regional jobs fell by 7,300.
Victoria’s regional hubs – Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton – all experienced strong jobs growth, creating more than 38,000 jobs between them over the past year.
Since the Andrews Labor Government was first elected in November 2014, Victoria’s regional unemployment rate has decreased by 2 percentage points from 6.6 per cent.
Quotes attributable to Treasurer Tim Pallas
“We promised to create jobs across the state, not just in Melbourne, and that’s exactly what we’ve delivered.”
“By cutting payroll tax and investing in our regions, we’ve helped small businesses expand and hire more staff.”
“We’re creating thousands of jobs, boosting local economies and shoring up the things that make our rural and regional towns unique.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Development Jaclyn Symes
“Whether it’s delivering a record infrastructure spend or supporting young first-time buyers get on the housing ladder, we’re backing regional jobs.”
“We’re proud to have invested $13 billion in regional Victoria since 2014 to boost jobs – this is almost double the investment of the previous Liberal-National Government.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020