Labour market issues in Melbournes north

This paper presents background research on labour market change in Melbourne¿s northern region. The point of departure for the analysis is 2001 Census data. The author uses the City of Whittlesea in Melbourne¿s north as a case study. Whittlesea is a fringe urban area with a rapidly expanding population. It will be shown that bald unemployment statistics are only one indication of labour market disadvantage and that, in the case of Whittlesea, we find behind these figures indications that the local population is experiencing, to paraphrase an expression from housing studies, `labour market stress¿. Although this is a preliminary paper, a key question has emerged which will be addressed: jobs growth and reduction in unemployment have been steady in Whittlesea between 1991 and 2001. In terms of broader indicators of disadvantage, Whittlesea performs comparatively poorly. Why is this so and what does it have to do with the local labour market?