Mandurah records highest jobless rate in the country

According to a report released by CommSec, the Peel region city sits atop the nation for the month of July, with a staggering 18 per cent jobless rate.

The Queensland town of Wide Bay isn't far behind on 17 per cent, but the two patches sit well above Melbourne's North West, which comes in third for the month at 12.6 per cent.

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Mandurah's unemployment rate has been perennially high, but the latest figures can be attributed to a sharp rise in job losses through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mandurah's jobless rate sat at 6.9 per cent in February, still one of the highest in the nation.

But it has skyrocketed through the pandemic, recording an astronomic increase of 11.1 per cent, the largest rise in the country over that time.

The neighbouring city of Bunbury's jobless rate has risen 4.2 per cent since February, the 12^th largest increase across the country.

The spike in the jobless rate comes as WA's unemployment rate reaches 8.3 per cent, a 20-year high and the second largest of its kind across all states behind Queensland.

Australia hit a grim milestone last week, recording more than one million unemployed people.

It is the first time the figure has been reached since records began, and sees the national unemployment rate rise to 7.5 per cent.