Posted 01/05/2014 by Penny Vandenbroek
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recently changed the dissemination of regional data from the monthly Labour Force Survey to reflect a new geographic standard. The Labour Force Survey is a key source of data on employment, unemployment, the labour force and associated rates and ratios. The change was designed to provide more robust data for smaller geographic areas, with a focus on regional labour markets.
The smallest geographic areas for labour force data are Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4), with estimates available for 87 spatial areas across Australia. SA4 data is from the original (unadjusted) series and therefore caution should be used when interpreting any changes, as some estimates may be subject to high sampling errors. The ABS releases regional labour force data in their publication, Labour Force, Australia, Detailed – Electronic delivery (Cat. No. 6291.0.55.001), see Table 16 and Data Cube RM1.
SA4 estimates can be used to provide some indication of labour market conditions in Commonwealth Electoral Divisions (CEDs). For further information on SA4s and suggested matches based on 2012 boundaries refer to Youth unemployment statistics for small geographic areas: a quick guide. More information on youth unemployment, the concepts and definitions is provided in Labour Stats 101 youth unemployment: a quick guide.
The following table provides the 2013 annual average youth unemployment rates for SA4s, as well as comparable state/territory (or part thereof) estimates. The annual averages have been calculated using 12 months of original data from January to December.
Across the SA4s, the youth unemployment rate in 2013 ranged from 5.7% to 20.2%. The three SA4s with the lowest annual average youth unemployment rates were: Perth – Inner (5.7%), Shepparton (5.9%) and Darwin (6.4%). The three SA4s with the highest rates of youth unemployment were: Tasmania – West and North West (20.2%), Adelaide – North (19.8%) and Northern Territory – Outback (19.3%).
Youth unemployment (15 to 24 years) by Statistical Areas – 2013 (annual average)
|
State/Territory and Statistical Areas Level 4
|
Unemployment rate (%)
|
|
New South Wales
|
11.8
|
|
Greater Sydney
|
11.3
|
|
Central Coast
|
10.4
|
|
Sydney - Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury
|
12.1
|
|
Sydney - Blacktown
|
15.6
|
|
Sydney - City and Inner South
|
9.8
|
|
Sydney - Eastern Suburbs
|
6.8
|
|
Sydney - Inner South West
|
11.3
|
|
Sydney - Inner West
|
7.0
|
|
Sydney - North Sydney and Hornsby
|
10.4
|
|
Sydney - Northern Beaches
|
8.1
|
|
Sydney - Outer South West
|
11.2
|
|
Sydney - Outer West and Blue Mountains
|
11.5
|
|
Sydney - Parramatta
|
18.0
|
|
Sydney - Ryde
|
9.1
|
|
Sydney - South West
|
14.9
|
|
Sydney - Sutherland
|
7.5
|
|
Rest of NSW
|
12.7
|
|
Capital Region
|
8.9
|
|
NSW - Central West
|
14.0
|
|
Coffs Harbour - Grafton
|
12.3
|
|
Far West and Orana
|
12.9
|
|
Hunter Valley exc Newcastle
|
8.6
|
|
Illawarra
|
15.9
|
|
Mid North Coast
|
12.1
|
|
Murray
|
10.2
|
|
New England and North West
|
14.5
|
|
Newcastle and Lake Macquarie
|
13.9
|
|
Richmond - Tweed
|
12.3
|
|
Riverina
|
12.4
|
|
Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven
|
16.3
|
|
Victoria
|
12.5
|
|
Greater Melbourne
|
12.8
|
|
Melbourne - Inner
|
12.9
|
|
Melbourne - Inner East
|
13.1
|
|
Melbourne - Inner South
|
11.3
|
|
Melbourne - North East
|
12.4
|
|
Melbourne - North West
|
15.0
|
|
Melbourne - Outer East
|
11.9
|
|
Melbourne - South East
|
12.1
|
|
Melbourne - West
|
14.3
|
|
Mornington Peninsula
|
12.1
|
|
Rest of Vic
|
11.6
|
|
Ballarat
|
11.0
|
|
Bendigo
|
13.9
|
|
Geelong
|
13.0
|
|
Hume
|
17.6
|
|
Latrobe - Gippsland
|
10.2
|
|
Victoria - North West
|
8.1
|
|
Shepparton
|
5.9
|
|
Warrnambool and South West
|
14.0
|
|
Queensland
|
13.0
|
|
Greater Brisbane
|
13.2
|
|
Brisbane - East
|
15.4
|
|
Brisbane - North
|
7.9
|
|
Brisbane - South
|
14.6
|
|
Brisbane - West
|
10.7
|
|
Brisbane Inner City
|
11.4
|
|
Ipswich
|
15.2
|
|
Logan - Beaudesert
|
15.3
|
|
Moreton Bay - North
|
17.6
|
|
Moreton Bay - South
|
7.8
|
|
Rest of Qld
|
12.9
|
|
Cairns
|
19.1
|
|
Darling Downs - Maranoa
|
8.3
|
|
Fitzroy
|
13.8
|
|
Gold Coast
|
12.7
|
|
Mackay
|
8.8
|
|
Queensland - Outback
|
11.5
|
|
Sunshine Coast
|
12.2
|
|
Toowoomba
|
12.4
|
|
Townsville
|
10.1
|
|
Wide Bay
|
17.9
|
|
South Australia
|
13.7
|
|
Greater Adelaide
|
14.4
|
|
Adelaide - Central and Hills
|
11.3
|
|
Adelaide - North
|
19.8
|
|
Adelaide - South
|
12.3
|
|
Adelaide - West
|
13.1
|
|
Rest of SA
|
10.7
|
|
Barossa - Yorke - Mid North
|
12.6
|
|
South Australia - Outback
|
14.7
|
|
South Australia - South East
|
7.7
|
|
Western Australia
|
9.4
|
|
Greater Perth
|
8.9
|
|
Mandurah
|
17.7
|
|
Perth - Inner
|
5.7
|
|
Perth - North East
|
9.7
|
|
Perth - North West
|
8.2
|
|
Perth - South East
|
7.9
|
|
Perth - South West
|
11.0
|
|
Rest of WA
|
11.5
|
|
Bunbury
|
9.8
|
|
Western Australia - Outback
|
11.9
|
|
Western Australia - Wheat Belt
|
12.7
|
|
Tasmania
|
17.2
|
|
Greater Hobart
|
14.2
|
|
Rest of Tas
|
19.4
|
|
Launceston and North East
|
19.0
|
|
Tasmania - South East
|
18.7
|
|
Tasmania - West and North West
|
20.2
|
|
Northern Territory
|
11.8
|
|
Darwin
|
6.4
|
|
Northern Territory - Outback
|
19.3
|
|
Australian Capital Territory
|
11.4
|
Notes to table
- Annual average calculated using 12 months of original (unadjusted) data.
- Due to the sample size involved, some sampling errors may be quite high and the estimates should therefore be interpreted with caution.
- The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed expressed as a proportion of the labour force (in the same age group).
- There are no sub-territory regions for the ACT.
- More information on Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4) is available from ABS, Information Paper: Regional Labour Force Statistics, 2014, Cat. no. 6262.0.
Source: ABS, Labour force, detailed - electronic delivery, March 2014, Cat. no. 6291.0.55.001 (Data Cube RM1)