The Hunter's labour market stayed stable in August as the unemployment rate hovered around 4.1 per cent.
The only notable change in the Australian Bureau of Statistics monthly figures for the Hunter was a slight rise in workforce participation outside Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, up from a low 58.9 per cent in July to 60.1 per cent.
The labour force, which includes people in work and those looking for it, rose from 136,500 to 139,400 across the seven council areas outside Newcastle and Lake Macquarie but remains about 7000 smaller than before the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.
The workforce participation rate in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas was stable in August at 66.8 per cent, which is similar to pre-COVID levels.
The total number of people in work across the Hunter stayed stable at just above 340,000 in August, the same level as before the pandemic.
The number of people in jobs plummeted to 297,000 across the region in the early months of the pandemic.
The NSW unemployment rate was 3.4 per cent in August.
ABS data shows the number of people employed in the NSW mining sector has dropped below 35,000 in each of the past four quarters, the first time this has happened since 2010. The mining industry consistently employed more than 40,000 workers, and sometimes close to 50,000, during its 2012-13 boom period.
The state's manufacturing sector has slipped below 200,000 in three of the past four quarters, the first time this has happened since the ABS started recording the data in 1984.
Construction jobs have slipped from their historical high of 400,000 in 2020 but remain relatively buoyant at 385,000.
The number of people employed in professional, technical and scientific roles remains at an historical high of 450,000, well up on the 310,000 workers employed in these fields 10 years ago.
Health care and social assistance jobs passed 600,000 for the first time in February and stood at 610,000 in the August quarter, almost 200,000 more than 10 years ago.
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