REGIONAL

Employment opportunities vary across different parts of Australia along with the nature and strength of the economic base, the industry profile and the relative growth of industries within the region. Differences in regional employment opportunities may reflect the fact that some areas have been more affected than others by restructuring within the economy, including the move away from traditional manufacturing to service industries. Other factors, including the population's age composition and growth, and the skill base of residents, can influence regional differences in employment (ABS 2001).

In 2009, the lowest unemployment rate was in the ACT (3.3%) followed by the Northern Territory (3.8%), while the highest unemployment rate was in NSW (6.1%). Unemployment fell significantly across most states and territories over the past decade, with the largest fall in Tasmania (from 9.3% to 5.0%). One of the exceptions was NSW, where the unemployment rate between 1999 and 2009 dropped 0.1 percentage points (from 6.2% to 6.1%).

Unemployment also varies depending on the remoteness of the region. While unemployment fell across all remoteness areas over the five years to 2006, the pattern of unemployment across remoteness classification remained similar. People living in remote and very remote parts of Australia had the lowest unemployment rates (4.1% and 4.8%, respectively, in 2006), while those living in inner regional Australia had the highest (5.9% in 2006).