Ten suburbs across Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay have the highest youth unemployment in the state, topping even the number of jobless in the Northern Territory outback.
The suburbs of Altona, Braybrook, Brooklyn, Footscray, Maidstone, Newport, Seddon, Spotswood, Yarraville and Williamstown were included in this unemployment cluster.
The latest national snapshot from the Brotherhood of St Laurence shows the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 averaged 17.3 per cent in Melbourne’s west.
The rate was 13.7 per cent in the Northern Territory outback, while the national average was 12.2 per cent.
Youth unemployment in Melbourne’s west ranked 12th-worst in the nation and had risen in this area by 3.7 per cent since 2014.
Brotherhood executive director Tony Nicholson said young people were at a higher risk of unemployment than other age groups.
“Digging into the data, we find some regions bearing a much heavier burden than others,” he said. “Our globalised economy makes it hard for young people to find entry-level jobs. This generational issue needs sustained attention on all fronts,” he said.
Mr Nicholson said while the national youth unemployment rate was down from a high of almost 14 per cent in December 2014, it was still well up on the level before the global financial crisis in 2008, when it dipped below nine per cent.
The national youth unemployment rate was more than 2.5 times the rate found among adults aged 25 and older (4.6 per cent).
Other Victorian hotspots were the Geelong (16.9 per cent) and Hume (16 per cent) regions.
The worst rate in Australia was 28.4 per cent, recorded in outback Queensland.
