Record low unemployment

(Redd via Unsplash)

The state government has celebrated Victoria’s falling unemployment rate, which has been recorded as the lowest of all Australian states according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data.

Victoria has the lowest unemployment rate in almost half a century at 3.1 per cent, and the lowest monthly rate since records began in 1978. The national unemployment rate sits at 3.4 per cent.

Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas said the government’s investment in infrastructure was supporting thousands of jobs.

“Victoria’s economy and jobs market are buoyant and that means families and businesses can have real confidence in the future,” he said.

In a statement, the government said almost 330,000 jobs had been created across the state since September 2020, far exceeding the government’s target of 200,000 jobs and outperforming all other states.

“More than 3.5 million Victorians are in work, including 70 per cent in full-time roles,” the government said.

“The Labor government has created more than 600,000 new jobs since taking office in November 2014 – including more than 480,000 full-time jobs – and overseen a huge jump in female employment with almost 950,000 women now in full-time work.”

The government said the Big Build program had supported more than 190,000 jobs, with ongoing investment in infrastructure set to create thousands more.