Summary: This guide provides a brief overview of the youth unemployment data available for small geographic areas. This is one in a series of Quick Guides related to labour statistics, designed to provide a basic understanding of Australian labour market data.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recently moved to a new geographic standard for the dissemination of regional data from the Labour Force Survey. The survey is a key source of information on employment, unemployment, the labour force and associated rates and ratios. The change was designed to provide more robust data for smaller geographic areas, with a focus on regional labour markets.

While the focus of this paper is on data available on youth unemployment at the smallest geographical level, data is also available for states and territories, and by greater capital city and balance of state.