Welfare assistance and the indigenous labour force: an analysis

The analysis of the geography of unemployment-related benefits and employment related to the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme yields several insights into Indigenous labour market activity. By simultaneously examining both, it is possible to estimate the proportion of the Indigenous labour force which depends on some form of government assistance. The analysis also shows that the CDEP scheme alters geographic patterns of unemployment and long-term unemployment, and appears to partially redress the spatial mismatch of employment demand and Indigenous labour supply. Copyright. Monash University and the author/s