Global recession hits Aussie jobs: govt

A sharp rise in the unemployment rate is evidence the global recession is impacting
on Australian jobs, Employment Minister Julia Gillard says.
Australia's unemployment rate has hit 5.2 per cent on the back of the biggest
monthly drop in full-time jobs since 1991.
The jobless rate is at its highest point in nearly four years, as the economic
downturn bites.
"These figures show that the global financial crisis and global recession is
impacting on Australia and the jobs of Australians," Ms Gillard told reporters.
"The government always said we wouldn't be immune from the global financial crisis
which has wreaked havoc on economies around the world."
There were individual stories behind each job lost, Ms Gillard said.
"Behind these statistics, each and every number that the Australian Bureau of
Statistics has released is a real-life story of individuals and families."
Ms Gillard could not say what the unemployment rate would have been without the
government's first $10.4 billion stimulus package.
The government had estimated 75,000 jobs would be created from the package,
announced in October last year.
Ms Gillard said she was particularly concerned about job losses in the mining sector.
"We've got concerns about the economy nationally but, as you know, one of the
industries hit by the global financial crisis and global recession first has been
the mining industry," she said.
"China is one of our principal trading partners in commodities ... we're very
concerned about the mining industry, and we're concerned to offer assistance and
support to people who find themselves out of a job as a result of the downturn."
Many workers would face having their hours cut as the economy slowed.
The government had invested heavily in training places so employers would have
skilled staff when the economy recovered, Ms Gillard said.