The Hunter has one job vacancy for every two unemployed people, offering "little wiggle room" for companies looking for skilled staff.
The Hunter's April unemployment rate was 3.1 per cent, almost a full point below the state and national levels, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Business Hunter chief executive Bob Hawes said it was "historically unusual to see unemployment in the region consistently outperforming the state, and for such a sustained period".
"The state figures tend to be lower than ours. It's a conundrum," Mr Hawes said.
"On one hand, strong employment supports the economy, which is helping business, yet worker shortages have become a handbrake for many businesses."
Jobs and Skills Australia's Internet Vacancy Index shows available jobs remained steady from March to April at nearly 5800, a fall of 180.
The pool of unemployed people across the region was also virtually unchanged at about 12,300.
"This offers little wiggle room when the job ads are around half that number," Mr Hawes said.
Total employment in the Hunter grew by 5400 in April and the total number of people employed across the region exceeded 380,000 for the second time in history.
The jobless rate for Newcastle and Lake Macquarie dropped from 3.1 to 2.5 per cent while unemployment in the rest of the Hunter rose from 3.1 to 4.1 per cent.
"These figures still speak to a tight job market across the region, and businesses are continuing to feel the pain of not being able to fill vacant positions," Mr Hawes said.
"We have a dual-speed economy here in the Hunter, with some businesses doing very well, while others, particularly those in customer-facing sectors such as hospitality and retail, are suffering the equivalent of multiple years of drought."
Youth unemployment in the Hunter was in single digits and well below rates common before the COVID-19 pandemic.
