Post-Census updates
JobSeeker recipients
About this topic
This page tracks JobSeeker and Youth Allowance (other) recipients for Central Desert (R) at SA2 level. It provides a more current signal of labour-market stress and socio-economic pressure than Census-only views.
The current comparison uses January 2026 against June 2023. Rates are calculated against the available ERP 15-64 population for each period.
Related topics
Key insight
In January 2026, 1,278 people in Central Desert (R) were receiving JobSeeker or Youth Allowance (other), equal to 45.7% of the working-age population, compared with 1,045 (37.3%) in June 2023. Yuendumu - Anmatjere had the highest current rate and Sandover - Plenty (part) the lowest.
1,278
Recipients January 2026
45.7% of 15-64 population
+233
Change since June 2023
37.3% to 45.7%
56.1%
Highest SA2 rate
Yuendumu - Anmatjere
34.6%
Lowest SA2 rate
Sandover - Plenty (part)
Chart view
Recipients by SA2
Current rate on the bar, comparison rate as the marker. Sorted by current rate.
Yuendumu - Anmatjere
56.1%
44.9%
Tanami (part)
37.0%
37.1%
Victoria River (part)
35.8%
34.7%
Sandover - Plenty (part)
34.6%
20.8%
Data table
JobSeeker rates by SA2
Download recipient counts and rates for the current and comparison months.
| SA2 | January 2026 recipients | January 2026 rate | June 2023 recipients | June 2023 rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuendumu - Anmatjere | 770 | 56.1% | 620 | 44.9% |
| Tanami (part) | 133 | 37.0% | 133 | 37.1% |
| Victoria River (part) | 184 | 35.8% | 178 | 34.7% |
| Sandover - Plenty (part) | 191 | 34.6% | 115 | 20.8% |