SOUTH Australia’s jobless rate is lower than before the closure of the Elizabeth Holden factory as the state continues to experience strong jobs growth.

The state’s official unemployment rate for September was a seasonally-adjusted 5.5 per cent, down from 5.7 per cent in August.

The figures come as good news ahead of the first anniversary on Saturday of the Holden shutdown.

More than 8500 South Australians joined the paid workforce in the 11 months after the factory closure, Australian Bureau of Statistics show.

The SA unemployment rate in October 2017 was 5.8 per cent.

The national unemployment rate fell to a six-year low of 5 per cent last month.

Federal Jobs Minister Kelly O’Dwyer said more Australians were in full-time work than ever before.

“Jobs growth in South Australia is strong, with unemployment falling from 7.7 per cent to 5.5 per cent over the last three years,’’ Ms O’Dwyer said.

SA Industry and Skills Minister David Pisoni said the State Government would continue to work with business to drive job creation.

“Today’s figures again show that the South Australian economy is robust and growing, as business confidence and consumer confidence in SA remains strong, but there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Mr Pisoni said.

Economists feared the Holden closure would cause the state’s unemployment rate to skyrocket but many businesses involved in the auto manufacturing supply chain succeeded in diversifying operations.

Nationally, the number of people with a job increased by 5600 on seasonally adjusted estimates but the participation rate dipped 0.3 per cent from August to 65.4 per cent.

AUSTRALIA’S JOBLESS SNAPSHOT

South Australia (seasonally-adjusted) — 5.5%, down from 5.7% in August

New South Wales — 4.4%, down from 4.6%

Victoria — 4.5%, down from 4.7%

Queensland — 6.0%, down from 6.3%

Western Australia — 6.0%, down from 6.4%

Tasmania — 5.8%, steady

Australia — 5.0%, down from 5.3%