Werribee has the third-highest number of unemployed residents in Victoria, new figures reveal.
Small-area labour market statistics from the federal employment department show that 1984 people living in Werribee were unemployed as of December last year, taking the suburb’s jobless rate to 11 per cent.
Werribee’s unemployment rate was 10.2 per cent in December 2013, with 1723 people seeking work.
Only Dandenong and Corio recorded a higher number of unemployed residents as of last December, while Victoria’s overall unemployment rate is about six per cent.
Across Wyndham, 7473 people are unemployed, putting the city’s jobless rate at 8.8 per cent. In Hoppers Crossing, 1759 people don’t have paid work, while 975 residents of Wyndham Vale are jobless.
Tarneit has 940 unemployed residents, followed by Point Cook (839), Truganina (521) and Werribee South (455). Statistics are not available for Williams Landing.
The department’s figures show all of Wyndham’s suburbs recorded an increase in the number of people searching for work between December 2013 and December last year.
The city’s increasing unemployment rate is placing strain on welfare agencies struggling to keep up with the demand for help.
Salvation Army support worker Sue Brookshaw said the organisation had noticed an increase in unemployed people looking for support in the past year.
She said people were turning to the Salvation Army because they had difficulties paying the rent or mortgage, school fees and bills.
Ms Brookshaw said the Salvos could only do so much to help and often had to refer people to other welfare organisations.
“Unemployment has a flow-on effect, in as far as things at home get quite stressful and that can lead to domestic violence,” Ms Brookshaw said.
“As an emergency food outlet, we can only help people with food and vouchers, which frees up some money for other things and helps a little with the stress.”
