Australian Bureau of Statistics data released today shows South Australia’s unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) dropped from 6.7 per cent in September to 6.4 per cent in October – equal with Tasmania and better than Western Australia (6.5 per cent).
South Australia’s September figure was the worst in Australia, just ahead of Tasmania.
In October, South Australia’s participation rate edged up slightly (0.1 per cent).
Nationally, the jobless rate held steady at 5.6 per cent in October as almost 10,000 jobs were added to the economy after two months of decline.
There was a 41,500 jump in the number of people taking on full-time work, partly offset by a 31,700 drop in part-time workers, reversing the recent trend towards casual workers.
The number of people looking for work remained at a 10-year low with the participation rate staying at 64.4 per cent.
State employment minister Kyam Maher insisted the Government’s “jobs plan” was starting to deliver.
“The latest figures show 1.7 million more hours were worked in October when compared to the previous year, which is the second strongest growth rate of any Australian state,” he said.
– with AAP
