The Australian Bureau of Statistics data released today shows unemployment has increased to 5.7% 
 
AMWU National Secretary Dave Oliver said it was disappointing that a further 20,000 workers had become unemployed over the last month.

"Whilst these figures are concerning, it is clear that the Rudd Government’s early action in the form of stimulus packages and infrastructure projects has softened the impact somewhat," said Mr Oliver.

“In this environment of global economic crisis, unemployment figures are expected to get worse, however we can continue to attempt to mitigate the impact by ensuring that infrastructure projects maximise local content.

“The Government should also be targeting infrastructure spend to the areas that need it most, we know that regional areas in particular are suffering from high levels of unemployment.

“Going forward, we need a strong emphasis on training and skills development so that when we come out of this economic downturn, we will maintain a highly skilled workforce as part of the response to economic instability and the skills shortage seen in the past,” said Mr Oliver.