THE Gawler region is bracing for another jump to the local jobless rate, after South Australia became the state with the worst unemployment numbers in the country last week.
Local unemployment has risen sharply since the onset of the COVID-19, with the Adelaide North area’s jobless rate – which includes Gawler, Elizabeth, Two Wells and Mallala – increasing by .2 per cent each month between March and May.
Tomorrow, the Australian Bureau of Statistics will release its detailed labour force stats for June, where the rate is expected to jump again.
The north’s unemployment rate last reached 8.5 per cent in January 2017.
It comes off the back of national data released on Thursday which revealed South Australia now has the worst unemployment rate in Australia at 8.8 per cent – an increase of 1.4 per cent in one month.
Innovation and Skills minister David Pisoni said despite the unemployment jump, more people were getting back to work.
“The COVD-19 pandemic remains the greatest economic challenge of our time, and it’s why the State Government is working every day to create more jobs through our record infrastructure spend across South Australia,” he said.
“We are continuing to implement our strong plan to deal with the pandemic, as we look to get as many infrastructure projects as possible underway as quickly as possible, as well as deliver hip pocket relief through cheaper water bills.”
According to the national statistics last week, more than 79,000 South Australians are now unemployed and a further 110,000 are underemployed.
In the wake of the statistics, opposition leader Peter Malinauskas criticised the State Government’s economic response to the pandemic, saying the unemployment rate “didn’t have to be this bad”.
“Steven Marshall’s lacklustre stimulus package has failed to save jobs and it’s failed to create jobs,” he said.
“South Australia has had one of the best health responses to the COVID crisis, led by Professor Nicola Spurrier and Police Commissioner Grant Stevens.
“But SA’s economic response, led by Steven Marshall has delivered the worst unemployment rate in Australia.”