Unemployment: Kimberley at lowest levels since 2017 while Pilbara continues steady decline

Unemployment figures in WA’s north west have fallen to some of their lowest levels since the boom as the region continues to grapple with a worker shortage. The Kimberley has led the push downwards, with the region-wide unemployment falling to 10.4 per cent, down from a 16.5 per cent high in March 2020. It is the lowest the figure has been since December 2017. Of the local government areas in the region, Derby-West Kimberley and Halls Creek have seen the biggest decline in unemployment. Derby fell 3.7 per cent in the March quarter to 18.6 per cent and Halls Creek was down 5.5 per cent in the same time to 24.7 per cent. Wyndham East-Kimberley figures dropped 1.5 per cent to 8.2 per cent, while Broome experienced the smallest decline in unemployment, dropping just 0.8 per cent to 6.7 per cent. Despite the decline, the Kimberley’s unemployment was still drastically higher than every other region, with State unemployment sitting at 4.8 per cent. According to the Kimberley Development Commission, the aspirational population for the region in 2036 of 90,000 people will require more than 30,000 jobs to achieve labour market participation rates consistent with the rest of WA. “If employment in all industries grows at approximately the same rate as population growth, a further 18,000 – 19,000 jobs could be generated by 2036,” the latest KDC labour snapshot said. Unemployment figures in the Pilbara were also trending down, with small declines of between 0.1 per cent and 0.8 per cent seen across all local government areas.