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Western Australia's unemployment rate has risen despite an increase in the number of people in work in the state, with the number of jobseekers reaching an almost 25-year high.
The number of people with jobs in the state rose overall by 1,600, in seasonally adjusted terms, in March.
However WA's unemployment rate rose to 6.5 per cent in March, up from 6.1 per cent but still lower than an almost 15-year peak in November of 6.9 per cent.
This was driven by an increase in the number of jobseekers, with 100,000 people looking for full-time or part-time work in Western Australia on latest figures.
The last time the figure soared to such heights was in February 1992, when it hit 101,000 people.
WA Treasurer Ben Wyatt said the high unemployment rate was a legacy of the previous government, which he said failed to diversify the economy and plan for life beyond the mining boom.
He said his government would update a list of occupations which previously fast-tracked overseas workers, to ensure more jobs are available in Western Australia.
Federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said she was disappointed with the increase but said WA continued to have the highest participation rate in the country.
"Western Australians are still encouraged, they are still out there actively putting up their hands and looking for work," she said.
"As Western Australians, we probably understand more than anybody else in Australia that we are part of a transitioning economy, so we've gone from that massive investment in the mining boom and now we are transitioning into a more services based economy."
"There is jobs growth in Western Australia but it's not in the mining industries."
The WA senator said she was confident the Federal Government's recent company tax cut would create more jobs for the state.
"All of the small business owners that I have spoken to this week, they look forward to reinvesting that additional money back into their business and growing their businesses," she said.
But Federal Labor MP Matt Keogh said he was highly sceptical that the Government's changes to company tax would create any extra jobs in WA.
"Unemployment in Western Australia is a very serious concern and we've seen this for a long period of time now," he said.
"I think Western Australians would be shocked and appalled that the Government is not doing anything concrete to provide the growth and jobs that we need."
"WA has really been left abandoned by the Federal Government."
Nationally, Australia's unemployment rate has remained steady at 5.9 per cent, boosted by the creation of 60,900 jobs.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics said 4,500 full-time jobs were created in March, while 13,600 part-time jobs were lost.
Topics: work, economic-trends, wa
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