WA unemployment up to 6.5 per cent

WA's unemployment rate increased from 6.1 per cent to 6.5 per cent last month, the second-highest in the nation, despite a strong surge in full-time jobs.

There were about 100,000 people in Western Australia unemployed and looking for a job in March.

Nationally, with the work participation rate rising as more people sought a job, the unemployment rate remained steady at 5.9 per cent from February - the highest level in more than a year.

Employment Minister and WA senator Michaelia Cash said it was disappointing to see the state's unemployment rate rise.

"There is jobs growth in Western Australia; not in mining industries, it's now in services-oriented industries," she said.