The Illawarra's dire youth job prospects have been highlighted once again, with a new report ranking the region fifth in Australia for youth unemployment.
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The 2014/15 State of the Regions report, from the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), said the gap between rich and poor regions would continue to widen unless there was better infrastructure investment and more opportunities for the nation's young job seekers.
The report also found that in all but a small number of inner-city metropolitan regions, youth unemployment prospects were bleak - and in the Illawarra they were worse.
In 2014, 18.4 per cent of Illawarra young people aged 15 to 24 were unemployed, which was well above the national average of 12.6 per cent.
Only North West Tasmania, Far North Queensland, West Moreton in South East Queensland and Far North and West South Australia had higher youth unemployment.
ALGA president Felicity-Ann Lewis said local government areas needed to create opportunities for young people by pursuing education, training and employment pathways that capitalised on their region's strengths.
Other employment figures in the report showed the healthcare and social assistance industry overtook retail as the region's largest industry, employing 16,937 Illawarra residents.
Retail trade dropped to second place, employing 15,933 people, followed by education and training and the construction industry.
And despite a rapid decline in the past decade, manufacturing remained one of the Illawarra's biggest industries.
The report also showed the Illawarra's reliance on social security was above average, with more people receiving disability support, parenting payments and youth allowance than the Australian average.
In better news, average Illawarra wealth per household was up by $71,000 since 2013 - reaching $669,000 based on 2012 house prices.
Debt levels compared to earnings were also lower than last year, with the household debt to gross income ratio down to 1.38 from 1.46 in 2013.
The report said government investment in roads, airports, education and telecommunication was needed to boost growth and employment.