Labour market conditions in the NSW Central Coast region are soft and have continued to weaken over the past 12 months.

 Total employment in the Central Coast region has decreased by 900 in the past year. Male and female full-time employment both fell substantially over this period (990 and 3770 respectively).
 Employment in Health Care and Social Assistance, increased by 4770 over the past two years
 The unemployment rate in the region currently stands at 6.7 percent,3 compared with 6.2 percent for Australia.
There is considerable variation in the unemployment rates for the two Local Government Areas in the region, with Wyong particularly high at 7.9 percent compared with 5.1 percent in Gosford.
 Some 29.6 percent of all unemployed persons in the region are long-term unemployed, compared with 21.7 percent in Australia.
 A larger proportion of the working-age population is in receipt of income support benefits (21 percent) compared with NSW and Australia (both 17 percent).

What employers are telling us

The survey results show that recruitment activity in Jobs on the Central Coast is generally soft.
 Just over half (55 percent) of employers in the region had recruited in the 12 months preceding the survey, compared with 61 percent for all regions surveyed.
 Consistent with a softer labour market, only 1.6 percent of vacancies remained unfilled, and only 28 percent of recruiting employers reported recruitment difficulty.
 Some 78 percent of applicants did not qualify for an interview, with the most common reasons being a lack of relevant experience (47 percent) or insufficient qualifications (30 percent).
 Employers’ recruitment expectations for the year following the survey were subdued, with only 36 percent of employers reporting that they would recruit.

Where are the opportunities?

Despite the weaker labour market conditions in the region, opportunities exist in some industries.
 A large proportion of employers recruited in the Accommodation and Food Services and the Health Care and Social Assistance industries, due to high staff turnover and employment growth respectively.
 Employers expect to recruit for a variety of occupations over the next year, including Sales Assistants (General), Waiters, Chefs, Kitchenhands, Aged and Disabled Carers, Child Carers and Registered Nurses