Record number in jobs

Submitted 19/11/2009

www.southaustralia.biz

 

The State Government says the latest employment figures show a record number of South Australians in jobs.

Employment Minister Michael O'Brien says 102,200 new jobs have been created since the Rann Government came to office in 2002.

"The total number of people employed in South Australia in trend terms in October rose by 400 to a record high of 793,300," Mr O'Brien says.

"South Australia's annual rate of employment growth has now exceeded the national average for nine consecutive months.

"The headline unemployment rate in the State dropped by 0.4 percentage points to 5.3%, to fall well below the national rate of 5.8%.

"This compares to New South Wales (6.1%), Queensland (6.0%), Victoria (5.7%), Tasmania (5.4%) and Western Australia (5%).

"The October figures show that our economy is continuing to show resilience in the face of the global economic crisis," Mr O'Brien says.

"However, we still need to approach the future with a level of cautious optimism, as we've seen in the recent announcements of jobs losses at Bridgestone and National Foods in the Riverland.

"The participation rate in trend terms remained steady at 63.2% indicating that South Australians continue to remain confident in their ability to secure a job.

"However, the youth unemployment rate increased to 26.7% compared to the national average of 22.8%, taking the number of 15-19 year olds who are unemployed and looking for full time work in South Australia to 4,000.

"State and Federal government spending initiatives, as well as the measures we announced in this year's State Budget, are about ensuring we protect existing jobs and create new ones as the economy recovers.