Latest labour force figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for January 2017 show South Australia’s total employment increased by 11,300 persons (1.4 per cent) to 819,500 persons over the last 12 months. Full-time employment rose by 5,300.

Employment growth for Australia as a whole was actually weaker than in South Australia. It rose by 1.0 per cent over the 12 months to January 2017.

Over that 12 month period South Australia’s trend rate of unemployment fell 0.5 percentage points to 6.7 per cent. The labour force participation rate rose slightly, by 0.2 percentage points, reaching 62.3 per cent.

The South Australia unemployment rate was highest of all the States, and compares with 5.7 per cent nationwide.