Western Australia's unemployment rate spiked to a 17-year high last month, going against the national trend, which is holding steady.
While the national unemployment rate in January remained at a seven-and-a-half year low of five per cent in seasonally adjusted terms, the jobless rate in WA jumped to 6.8 per cent, up from 6.4 per cent.
It's the second worst result, behind Tasmania at seven per cent.
The figures, released on Thursday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, come a day after the state government spruiked its "Our Priorities" plan to create 150,000 new jobs over six years.
"That means absolutely nothing to the nearly 100,000 Western Australians who are unemployed right now," opposition treasury spokesman Dean Nalder said.
"The premier swept into office two years ago on a platform of jobs creation and is now stubbornly refusing to admit he has failed."
Premier Mark McGowan told parliament "we need to do more, we need to do better" and that's why the jobs plan had been unveiled.
"We do acknowledge as a government that we need to increase employment in Western Australia but we also acknowledge that we have had 33,000 additional jobs created in our state since we came to office," Mr McGowan said.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA said more than 130,000 people remain underemployed and want more work.
Treasurer Ben Wyatt said full time jobs growth, on an annual basis, was rising.
"The fact is, these figures go up and down but the underlying data shows things are heading in the right direction," Mr Wyatt said.
CCIWA called on the state government to reduce payroll tax, saying it is the highest rate in the nation.
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