The unemployment rate is derived from the ABS labour force survey and Centrelink data and compiled by the Department of Employment. It is published quarterly in the Small Area Labour Markets publication, for Local Government Areas. The unemployment rate shown here is the proportion of the resident labour force (those in work or looking for work, and aged over 15) who are looking for work. Unemployment does not include people who don’t have a job but are not seeking a job.

Unemployment is an important indicator of the economic success of an area. A low unemployment rate can indicate an affluent area with a high rate of access to jobs, or a place where those who can’t find jobs leave the area. A high rate can indicate a declining economy with closures of key industries, or a residential area with a significantly disadvantaged population.

Note: Due to a major change in the Labour Force Regions on which unemployment data are collected, Small Area Labour Markets datasets are now only directly comparable back to 2010. For this reason, data prior to 2010 is misleading and has been removed from this site.