News Articles for CommSec

The unemployment rate across Australia, and especially in Western Australia, has recorded a surprising fall, with the local number affected by a special adjustment by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

CONFIDENCE in the commercial construction and home building sectors is driving borrowings growth in Western Australia, despite the gloomy economic outlook contained in the state budget.

After more than a decade of strong interstate migration to Western Australia, the number of people moving to the west coast is being outstripped by the number of Sandgropers heading for the east coast, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

More Western Australians were employed in February than ever before, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, but that was not enough to stop a 0.2 per cent rise in the state's unemployment rate to 5.8 per cent.

The number of luxury cars sold in Australia hit record highs last year as the number of passenger and light commercial vehicle sales declined, according to CommSec's analysis of national sales data.

Perth home values have gone backwards over the year to date despite growth in all other capital cities, according to the latest RP Data-Rismark home value index.

Approvals for home loans in Western Australia have risen by 10 per cent over the past 12 months, but the strong growth appears to be slowing down, according to economists.

There's still plenty of upside to the state's resources sector as WA shifts focus to meet customers' needs.

The value of Western Australia's resources industry has fallen slightly from last year's record level, but has still topped $100 billion for the third consecutive year.

A NEW in-depth analysis of wages data across Australia shows some major differences by geography, gender and occupation.