For every job advertised on the Government’s much-vaunted Australian Job Search website in metropolitan Perth there are 40 job seekers. This is the worst ratio of job seekers to vacancies for any of Australia’s capital cities.

An analysis of Government data reveals that there are 45,300 job seekers in metropolitan Perth and only 1,122 jobs on the Job Search website – many of which are part-time.

This new analysis comes on top of the latest ANZ survey which found that in April the number of job ads in newspapers across the country had slumped 12.1% to a 9 year low.

These latest figures highlight the gloomy situation confronting those Australians who simply want to work and provide for their families.

At a time when there is simply not enough jobs to go around we have a Minister and a Government more concerned about promoting a computer system that can send SMS’s to those few job seekers fortunate enough to be able to afford a mobile phone. This is nothing short of perverse priorities.

Also at a time when job seekers need more, not less personalised assistance the Government is also closing 32% of the Job Network sites located in metropolitan Perth. This translates into the loss of 24 sites between now and 1 July.

The Government has promised that nationally there will be up to 50,000 jobs advertises on the Job Search website – today there are only 31,762.

After 7 years in office the Howard Government’s employment strategies have only been able to deliver a rise in long-term unemployment. The number of people unemployed for more than 12 months is higher today than when the Howard Government was first elected to office. This is a national disgrace.

The latest analysis of vacancy numbers confirms that this situation is only likely to get worse.