Liam McNally
Melton is experiencing its lowest level of unemployment in at least 13 years, however it has dropped in statewide rankings to the 5th worst unemployment rate in Victoria.
Data in the quarterly Small Area Labour Market (SALM) report complied by Jobs and Skills Australia showed Melton’s unemployment rate was at 5.4 per cent in September last year, above the Victorian rate of 3.5.
Chief executive of Future Connect, a charity that works with young people across Brimbank and Melton to support transitions into employment, Deirdre Hardy said one of the main causes for Melton’s high unemployment is job infrastructure not keeping up with population growth.
“There hasn’t been the same investment by government into public transport, for example, that would keep up with the needs of the people in the area,” she said.
Ms Hardy said that the edging down of Melton’s overall unemployment rate, from 5.9 per cent in 2011 isn’t big enough to be a noticeably positive shift.
The latest statistics also show a dramatic difference between suburbs in Melton, which Ms Hardy said is “unusual”.
Melton West had the highest unemployment rate in the area, while neighbouring suburbs of Melton, Melton South/Weir Views, Brookfield, and Kurunjang all had zero per cent unemployment.
While according to council 5000 jobs were added to Melton between 2016 and 2021, mayor Kathy Majdlik agreed local job growth hasn’t matched population growth.
“Job creation remains a key priority, so our residents have access to diverse and quality employment in their own communities,” she said.
“Seventy-three per cent of the city’s workforce leaves the municipality to head to work each day.
“Lack of quality jobs, diverse industries, access to public transport and commute time all contribute to reduced unemployment figures.
“We have a plan in place to attract investment and create more jobs. The City of Melton’s Investment Attraction Strategy aims to create 100,000 new local jobs and return $19 billion to the Victorian economy by 2051.”
Ms Hardy said some of the most successful methods for increasing employment have been based around providing spaces for people do develop skills required to work, which Future Connect has worked with council to do through projects like the Youth Grounds Cafe.
“Our young people in Melton are incredibly capable… the data just tells us a story about real people, and that’s where we need to be focused.”
