Unemployment Figures - ACT Follows National And NSW Trends

Wayne Berry - Opposition Spokesperson on Employment

Media Statement - 6 April 2000

The Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force figures for March, which were released today, show the ACT unemployment rate following the national and NSW trend towards lower unemployment Labor Shadow Employment Minister Wayne Berry said.

The ACT figures reveal a trend unemployment rate of 5.2%, the National trend unemployment rate is 6.8% and NSW is 5.9%.

Mr Berry said, "A pattern which has existed in the ACT over many years, of following these trends, has happily been reflected in the Territory over the last few months."

"An exception to this pattern was experienced when Kate Carnell and John Howard axed tens of thousands of public sector jobs from the ACT with disastrous consequences for displaced workers and the ACT economy.

"One statistic which bears watching in the future is the growth in the ACT population, up 700 this month. This rise is not reflected in total employment which remains static at 165,400, full, part-time and casual jobs in trend terms," Mr Berry concluded.