Improvements to the national economy are not being seen in central Victoria, Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters said.
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The Australia Bureau of Statistics' November labour force data revealed national employment increased by 90,000 people between October and November, representing a 0.7 per cent rise.
In Victoria, employment increased by 5.2 per cent, or 74,000 people.
Ms Chesters said the government needs a comprehensive employment and jobs program to reduce the number of central Victorians reliant on welfare payments.
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In November, 9762 people living in the Bendigo electorate received JobSeeker or Youth Allowance payments, compared to 10,112 in October and 5783 in December 2019.
ABS data showed 84,200 full-time and 5800 part-time jobs were created in November.
The data triggered Treasurer Josh Frydenberg to revise his unemployment rate forecasts.
As more than double the number of people found work in November than expected by economists, the jobless rate was trimmed to 6.8 per cent when it was forecast to remain 7.0 per cent.
Mr Frydenberg said he expected the unemployment rate would recover to its pre-COVID-19 level of just above five per cent in about four years, compared with a decade after the 1990s recession.
"We have come a long way from Treasury's initial estimate that the unemployment rate could reach 10 per cent or 15 per cent," he said.
Ms Chesters said planned JobSeeker and JobKeeper payment cuts must stop and more support is needed for the arts, entertainment and events sector.
"The government hasn't done enough to see meaningful jobs return to these sectors," Ms Chesters said.
From January 1, the Coronavirus Supplement, paid in addition to the base JobSeeker rate will reduce from $250 to $150 per fortnight, while JobKeeper payments will reduce by up to $200 from January 4.
-with AAP