The Illawarra's unemployed have been warned it is too early to join in the celebrations of yesterday's improved jobless figures, with the region's own rate to be released next week.
The Illawarra faces the prospect of being among the few regions in the country to record an increase in unemployment in April, as national figures showed a fall to 5.4 per cent from 5.7 per cent in March.
NSW had the sharpest decline, from 6.8 per cent in March to 6.0 per cent in April.
But Illawarra Research Information Service's (IRIS) Simon Pomfret cautioned that did not mean the Illawarra - one of the hardest hit areas in the country - also had seen an increase in jobs.
"Hopefully ... employers in our region are following similar holding-on-to-staff mentalities," Mr Pomfret said.
"I know we've got the manufacturing issues but that hasn't been filtered down yet."
The Illawarra's unemployment rate, which takes in Wollongong, Shellharbour and Kiama, stood at 9.1 per cent in March, after a significant jump from 7.9 per cent in February.
With 12,500 jobless in March, the region has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.
IRIS has predicted the rate could rise to 10 per cent within months.
Mr Pomfret said even if next week's announcement revealed an increase in jobs in April, it would not be the end of the unemployment spiral.
"We probably haven't seen the worst of it yet."
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