SA jobless spike 'disaster': opposition

South Australia's government has been accused of lacking solutions to the state's unemployment crisis after a spike in the jobless rate.

The jobless rate soared to 7.7 per cent in February, up from 6.8 per cent in January, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.

Opposition Leader Steven Marshall said the latest figures, which reverse several months of declining unemployment, were a disaster for SA.

"Quite frankly, the fact that we remain the state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation is shameful," he told reporters.

"What's more shameful is that we don't have a plan in South Australia to do anything about it."

Employment Minister Kyam Maher said more South Australians were looking for work and the jobless figures in SA were often volatile.

But there were significant challenges ahead for SA, including the exit of Holden in 2017.

"The changing nature of our economy means that we are going to have to rise to that challenge," he said.

Mr Maher said the government had put forward plans to boost the economy but it would take time for jobs to be created in new industries.

Business SA chief Nigel McBride warned that the state's unemployment crisis would be likely to get worse before it gets better.