WA Economic Profile for July 2017

Main updates this month

Labour market

• Western Australia’s employment rose by 6,900 in June 2017.
• The unemployment rate was 5.6 per cent in June 2017, above the 5.5 per cent in the previous month, but below the 5.9 per cent a year ago.

Exchange rate

• The monthly average Australian dollar exchange rate rose 3 per cent to US76.9 cents in June 2017.

Commodity prices

• In June 2017, the monthly average price of:
  • iron ore fell 8 per cent to US$57.5 a tonne
  • LNG was US$8.5 a million British thermal unit
  • crude oil fell 7 per cent to US$45.2 a barrel
  • gold rose 1 per cent to US$1,260 an ounce
• The Reserve Bank of Australia’s monthly index of rural commodity prices rose 2 per cent in June 2017.

 

The latest WA Economic Profile will be available on the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation’s website soon.