SA bucks trend with unemployment rise

South Australia's unemployment rate increased in August, despite a national trend in the other direction.

The latest labour force figures show SA's jobless rate rose 0.5 percentage points to 6.8 per cent last month, as national unemployment fell to 5.6 per cent.

Employment Minister Kyam Maher says the government is trying to curb unemployment by handing out $109 million in grants to businesses that take on new workers.

He says the government is also urging South Australians to buy local products.

"Backing South Australian companies means more jobs for South Australians, and the state government understands just how important it is to support the local economy," Mr Maher said in a statement on Thursday.

But opposition employment spokesman Corey Wingard said South Australia had been languishing at the bottom of the employment ladder for too long.

"The treasurer has talked about having a jobs budget for the past two years now and we're still languishing at the bottom," he said.

Mr Wingard said the government should ease the Emergency Services Levy to boost the economy by putting more money in people's pockets.