WA Economic Profile for June 2018

Main updates this month

Labour market

• Western Australia’s total employment rose 2 per cent (19,816) through the year to May 2018, with a rise in full-time (up 0.4 per cent or 3,820) and part-time (up 4 per cent or 15,996) employment.
• The largest increases in employment through the year to the June quarter 2018 were in manufacturing (up 19,170) and healthcare and social assistance (up 17,527), while the largest falls in employment were in retail and wholesale trade (down 32,934) and construction (down 19,132).
• Western Australia’s unemployment rate of 6.4 per cent in May 2018 was below the 6.5 per cent in the previous month, but above the 5.5 per cent a year ago.
• Western Australia’s underemployment rate of 9.3 per cent in the June quarter 2018 was above the 8.8 per cent in the previous quarter, but below 10.4 per cent a year ago.
• Western Australia’s participation rate of 68.6 per cent in the June quarter 2018 was above the 68.1 per cent in the previous quarter and 67.4 per cent a year ago.
• Western Australia had 24,100 job vacancies1 in the June quarter 2018, 1,900 more than in the previous quarter and 5,000 more than a year ago.

Other

• Western Australia’s population growth of 0.8 per cent (21,395) in 2017 was below annual average growth of 1.9 per cent over the past ten years.

 

The latest WA Economic Profile will be available on the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation’s websitesoon.