Max Hatzoglou
Brimbank’s jobless rate is falling, according to new Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data, however, the municipality’s unemployment rate remains higher than the state average.
The ABS data revealed that in September 2021, Brimbank’s unemployment rate was 9 per cent, down from 10.3 per cent in June 2021.
The Victorian unemployment rate in September 2021 was 5.6 per cent, down from 6.2 per cent in June 2021.
Many suburbs across Brimbank recorded a reduction in their unemployment rate, including Delahey (9.9 per cent in September 2021 from 11.1 per cent in June 2021) and Sunshine North (11.4 per cent in September 2021 from 13.1 per cent in June 2021).
Kings Park had the municipality’s highest jobless rate as of September 2021 (13 per cent) while unemployment was lowest in Keilor (4 per cent)
Sunshine Business Association president Vu Du said construction works, including the Melbourne Airport Rail Link, have helped locals find work.
“With the [Sunshine] Plaza shopping centre and the railway link, they have just employed over 300 staff, and then additionally with all the construction going on in the area as well, that just gives continuous employment for the local community, Mr Du said.
“With everything normalising after COVID that has also made a dramatic change.”
In future, Mr Vu sees unemployment continuing to improve in Sunshine and surrounding areas.
“On the proviso that this rail link continues, I don’t foresee us increasing our unemployment rate, if anything it should continue going down, and then additionally with the presence of this area going up in property prices and the two shopping centres, it should bring in more retailers and then more retailers brings in more employment,” he said.
