Victorian government outsources jobs interstate, overseas

Thursday 5 March 2026

Of Australia’s main capital cities, Melbourne is the most economically challenged.

The latest labour force data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), presented below by CBA, shows that Victoria has recorded the steepest rise in unemployment in the nation:

Victoria’s unemployment rate of 4.5% is also the highest in the nation, tracking 0.4% above the national average in January 2026:

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.