Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan has welcomed new Parliamentary Research Service data showing the electorate continues to outperform most regional areas across the state on key employment measures.
The Unemployment and JobSeeker Estimates report confirms the Northern Tablelands’ unemployment rate sits at 3.1%, well below the NSW average of 4.1%. This places the electorate among the strongest regional performers in the State and highlights the resilience and diversity of its local economy.
Brendan Moylan said the results reflect the hard work and determination of communities right across the Northern Tablelands.
“The Northern Tablelands is one of the most resilient and productive regional economies in NSW as demonstrated by the release of this data,” Mr Moylan said.
“Our farmers, small businesses, educators, health workers, and manufacturers continue to deliver for our region, despite the downward pressure on the economy due to poor policy decisions from the current Federal and State governments.
“I’m incredibly proud of the resilience of our region, and the figures show that regional NSW overall has outperformed most metropolitan areas.”
The latest data shows the Northern Tablelands outperforming many comparable regional electorates, including Coffs Harbour (4.3%), Lismore (4.3%), Myall Lakes (5.1%), Clarence (5.5%), and Wagga Wagga (3.7%). Only a small number of electorates statewide fall close to the 3% mark, placing the Northern Tablelands in an exclusive group of high performing regions.
Mr Moylan said the region’s strong performance is driven by long term strengths such as a world-class agriculture and primary production sector, a diverse industry base, a thriving small business sector, strong education and training pathways through local TAFE’s, a competitive early, primary and high school sector, and, of course, the University of New England.
“With unemployment remaining low and stable, the Northern Tablelands continues to demonstrate economic resilience and strong community capacity, outperforming many coastal and metropolitan electorates,” the MP said.
“While the news is mainly positive, I do acknowledge that the numbers demonstrate strong employment opportunities, however, many local businesses report difficulty in securing reliable and skilled staff.
“I am hoping that these figures will demonstrate clearly to many of our city and coastal cousins, that the land of opportunity can be found west of the sandstone curtain.”
The research paper – Electorate data: Unemployment and JobSeeker estimates (December 2025) – can be viewed in full online at –
Media Release: Member for Northern Tablelands Brendan Moylan
