Jobless Up Sharply In City's North

The Age

Saturday December 3, 2005

By TIM COLEBATCH, ECONOMICS EDITOR, CANBERRA

UNEMPLOYMENT has rebounded in some of Victoria's worst areas of joblessness, climbing back over 13 per cent in Broadmeadows, Moe, Morwell and Maryborough, the Federal Government says.

While the state's unemployment rate fell to 5.5 per cent in the September quarter, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations says much of the state still has more than 10 per cent of workers unemployed, with many of the new jobs going to job-rich areas.

Broadmeadows has regained the unwanted title of Victoria's unemployment capital. In the September quarter 13.8 per cent of its workers were unemployed, 21/2 times the state average.

A year ago unemployment in Broadmeadows was 10.7 per cent. The 2001 census showed the area had Melbourne's highest proportion of Muslims, and was the most disadvantaged area after Dandenong.

Unemployment has also increased in the Latrobe Valley. By September it was 13.3 per cent in Moe and 13.4 per cent in Morwell, up from 10.9 and 11.3 per cent a year earlier.

At the other extreme, unemployment in Brighton is now 1.7 per cent, down from 2.3 per cent a year earlier.

Overall, unemployment was 5.1 per cent in Melbourne and 6.7 per cent in the rest of the state.

Broadmeadows was not alone in having a jobless rate twice the city average. Sunshine's rate was 11.1 per cent and Preston's was 10.2 per cent.

Unemployment north and west of the Yarra is generally higher than in the south and east. The only pockets of high unemployment south of the river are Dandenong (7.9 per cent), Oakleigh (7.3) and the southern Mornington Peninsula (7.0).

The jobless rate was 2.7 per cent in Berwick, 2.8 in Balwyn, Middle Park and Prahran/Toorak, 3.3 in Caulfield, and 3.4 in Kew. St Kilda was 4.5 per cent.

In the north, the main pockets of low unemployment apart from Eltham/Warrandyte were Greensborough (3.2) and Strathmore (3.4).

In regional areas, unemployment was 13 per cent in Maryborough. It was 10.8 per cent in Eaglehawk, 10.7 per cent in Corio, and 10.2 per cent in Castlemaine.

© 2005 The Age

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