Employment helps families develop resilience, access better housing and build wealth and independence over time. However, Aboriginal people in Western Australia's regions are more likely than non-Aboriginal people to be without work, especially those living in remote areas.
Aboriginal workforce participation gets worse with remoteness due to a range of factors, such as:
- low levels of private sector economic activity
- the structure of local job markets
- local housing markets
- education and training participation rates
- underlying and entrenched disadvantage.
In the longer-term, the State Government will seek to:
- foster regional economic growth and jobs, consistent with the Kimberley and Pilbara Regional Investment Blueprints
- work with the Commonwealth Government through its Community Development Program to connect job seekers with jobs, build job seeker capability, and enforce job-seeking requirements.