Unemployment in Moorabool has hit an equal record low.
New data from the National Skills Commission shows Moorabool recorded an unemployment rate of 3.4 per cent in March 2024, a slight drop from 3.5 per cent in the December 2023 quarter.
It is just below the Victorian average of 3.8 per cent.
The unemployment rate was also 3.4 per cent in September 2023, the lowest in Moorabool since data was first collected in 2010.
Meanwhile in Melton, unemployment this most recent quarter was 5.3 per cent, a decrease of 0.3 per cent or 218 people.
Despite the drop, the unemployment rate still remains well above the state average.
The suburb of Melton West recorded the highest level of unemployment in the municipality at 7.6 per cent.
Neighbouring LGAs Hume and Brimbank had the highest level of unemployment in Victoria with 7.1 and 6.4 per cent respectively.
Future Connect is a not-for-profit organisation that helps improve education, training, and employment pathways for young people in Melbourne’s west.
Chief executive Deirdre Hardy said there are a number of barriers that contribute to a higher unemployment rate amongst youths in Melton.
“There’s often situations where young people don’t have the social capital or networks to easily find full time employment,” she said.
“Young people whose parents are born overseas don’t have the networks where the parents can assist them to find work they’re interested in, whereas people with that greater social capital have a lot of networks.”
Ms Hardy said that a strict hiring criteria and lack of consideration contributed to the difficulty young people in the area face when looking for jobs.
“There are opportunities for work in the area, but sometimes even entry level positions still want experience… or they may have a requirement for a driver’s licence.”
“I think employers can be a bit set in their ideas of what they’re looking for from an employee, and they’re not always able to be flexible in their approach to recruiting.”
