Small Business

West Aussies had a huge boost in purchasing power in the year to June, and the state’s economy grew despite a small national drop.

Western Australians are being encouraged to back local businesses in the lead-up to Christmas, as part of a campaign that launches on Saturday.

A tyre wholesaler in Malaga has been fined $70,000 after admitting to an unsafe work environment.

More than 32,000 Western Australians found jobs in August, and the unemployment rate plunged 1.3 percentage points, as the nation posted a big improvement.

WA’s domestic economy contracted 6 per cent in the June quarter, slightly better than national figures showing Australia is in recession.

Many small businesses are optimistic after the challenges of recent months, citing the state’s border bubble as a contributing factor.

Consumers in Perth are more confident than any other major capital by some margin, according to the latest ANZ Roy Morgan weekly consumer confidence data.

Unemployment will reach 11 per cent in WA this financial year, according to CCIWA, with business investment set to fall.

A lift in the number of employed women is a positive in WA’s June jobs data, as unemployment hit its highest level since 1994.