There’ll be slight relief for the Lower Hunter’s high youth unemployment levels with Red Rooster announcing it will open a new store at Thornton.
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The new outlet will open at the corner of Weakleys Drive and Glenwood Drive within a new service station complex in August this year.
A spokeswoman for the fast food chain told The Star they about 40 new jobs would be created by the new outlet.
It comes after Red Rooster opened another outlet in Heddon Greta late last year employing similar numbers.
The news will be welcomed in the community after the Sydney Morning Herald reported the results from the anti-poverty organisation the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s economic snapshot last month.
The data, which mapped jobless rates around the country, found that some regional areas were close to or above 20 per cent.
The Hunter Valley region, excluding Newcastle, had the unfortunate honour of topping the NSW charts with a rate of 21.8 per cent.
The Hunter easily outpaced the state's overall 12.2 per cent unemployment rate for 15 to 24 year olds.
Which is more than twice the National unemployment rate of 5.2 per cent.
Brotherhood executive director Tony Nicholson said he was concerned by the fact that 258,000 young people nationwide were unable to find work.
"When you look at regional areas, this is exacerbated... in agriculture, mining, and manufacturing," he said.
"These people aren't yet equipped to take up the employment opportunities that are starting to be created in our regional towns."
In March Youth Express CEO Julie Eldridge urged local businesses to take an active role in reducing youth unemployment in the region.
“Times are tough. I understand that. They’re ill prepared for the world of work and it’s easier sometimes, and a whole lot more productive, to just employ an older person. I get that,” she said.
“More needs to happen to support schools to do a better job of preparing young people for work.”
