Labor concerned about WA jobless rise

The federal Labor opposition is concerned that unemployment in Western Australia, the once engine room of the national economy, is now rising rapidly.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data on Thursday showed the national unemployment rate remained steady at a decade high of six per cent in February.

However, the rate in WA jumped from 5.2 per cent to 5.9 per cent, its highest since December 2003.

Opposition employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor said for the first time in five years the rate in NSW - which held steady at 5.8 per cent in February - was lower than WA.

"This is quite an alarming change in one month," Mr O'Connor told reporters in Perth.

"Given the importance of the Western Australian economy on the national economy, it does concern the federal opposition."

He welcomed the 80,500 jump in the number of people employed in full-time work nationally in the month after recent significant falls.

However, he said the recent job cut announcements by Qantas, Holden, Toyota, Rio Tinto and others are not factored in these numbers.