Wagga and Riverina JobSeeker claim numbers keep falling but could hit 'plateau'

A Department of Social Services report showed the city and the Riverina region both saw about a 2.7 per cent drop in JobSeeker during May.

Fewer than 5700 people across the Riverina claimed the payments, including 2603 in Wagga, but the numbers remained 17 per cent higher than before the pandemic.

There was not as much of a fall in employment as during April, which had 11 per cent declines for both Wagga and the Riverina.

Business NSW Murray-Riverina regional manager Anthony McFarlane said it was good to see the numbers keep falling but the rate of jobless decline might slow down.

"It think it's starting to plateau a little bit more because in April we saw the first month where the disincentive effect [from the coronavirus supplement payment on top of JobSeeker] was taken away," he said.

"It's probably to be expected that the reduction was smaller in May."

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The JobKeeper wage subsidies paid to businesses were also cut off completely in April after several reductions.

Wagga Business Chamber business manager Serena Hardwick said the group would like to see the unemployment numbers keep falling.

"We're still facing skill shortages and there's still a lot of incentives to re-train and the Reskilling NSW program for people looking to change industries," she said.

Riverina MP Michael McCormack said the region's JobSeeker numbers were a testament to the economic recovery and there were more than 67,500 jobs across regional Australia.

"These numbers should give people in the Riverina confidence that the federal government's economic plan is working by delivering more jobs across the region," he said.

Labor duty Senator for the Riverina Deborah O'Neill said the government was doing victory laps while unemployment was still high.

"I've had locals come to me saying that they feel completely ignored and overlooked by Michael McCormack and his government who are glossing over the fact that there are thousands in the community who still rely on these payments," she said.

"Many never thought they'd be in this position."

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