BY IAN CROUCH
New figures issued by Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg show the number of people on JobKeeper in the Hunter has fallen significantly since September.
The media background document reveals 66 per cent of recipients in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and 68 per cent in the rest of the Hunter stopped receiving the payments between September and December.
It coincides with a turnaround in the region's unemployment rate, which peaked at 11 per cent in June and now stands at 6.5 per cent in December.
JobKeeper is due to run out next month but Josh Frydenberg is resisting calls to extend the scheme in targeted sectors, saying the government is tapering support as the economy improves.
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| Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg |
