Pandemic-fueled unemployment levels have continued to decline in Orange and the Central West through the opening months of 2021 and, based on the past year, analysis has revealed the region boasts the lowest rate in the state.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Department of Social Services figures show in the Central West the average unemployment rate across the last 12 months has been 3.8 per cent which, while it includes some pre-pandemic data, is well below NSW's mark of 6.8 per cent.
That trend is also apparent at a local level within the region as well.
Much of these declining unemployment rates can be attributed to increased tourism across the region.
- Vicki Seccombe, NSW Business Chamber Western regional manager
Figures for March show unemployment rates in Orange and Bathurst have declined significantly in the 10 months since the pandemic's peak in May last year, by 1.09 and 0.7 percentage points respectively.
Based on the number of people receiving JobSeeker payments from Centrelink, Orange's unemployment rate estimated to be 4.61 per cent while Bathurst's is slightly lower at 4.49 per cent.
Vicki Seccombe, NSW Business Chamber Western regional manager, said employment rates declining in the region is an obvious boost, with the impact of increased tourism and a recovering agriculture sector two big factors.
"Much of these declining unemployment rates can be attributed to increased tourism across the region (and) the agricultural sector bouncing back strongly from drought," she said.
"Also, our business sector has mostly been unaffected by restrictions such as those experienced on the borders or the northern beaches."
The figures show almost 450 fewer people received JobSeeker payments in Orange in March compared to May last year, with a decline of 310 noted in Bathurst as well, with marked drops month-to-month since the beginning of 2021 too.
An average of more than 30 people per month leaving the welfare system so far this year has been observed across both cities. In Orange, there was 1,897 people who received JobSeeker payments in March while there was 1,667 in Bathurst.
An identical trend has been noted in Dubbo too which, in this context, falls into the Far West-Orana catchment, which has the third lowest unemployment rate in NSW of 4.6 per cent.
The number of people receiving JobSeeker payments in Dubbo has dropped from 2,425 in May last year to 1,927 last month, a decline of 1.38 percentage points in terms of unemployment rate estimates. Dubbo's rate of unemployment is estimated at 5.35 per cent for March.
March was also the last month for businesses to claim JobKeeper wage subsidies and the final month that unemployed people received an extra $150 per fortnight via JobSeeker's coronavirus supplement.
The coronavirus supplement had effectively doubled unemployment payments at the height of the pandemic, but that figure was cut back in stages.
From April 1, most unemployed people have been receiving about $50 more per fortnight under JobSeeker than under Centrelink's pre-pandemic Newstart Allowance.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.