Not all bad news on jobs front: Lenders
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John Lenders said some companies are taking advantage of the state's economy to create new jobs. (ABC TV)
The Victorian Treasurer, John Lenders, says new jobs are being created in the state, despite high profile cutbacks at a series of companies in recent months.
Hundreds of staff are being laid off in the car industry.
Component maker, Unidrive, is the latest firm to announce it is axing 40 jobs.
The company says the job cuts were forced by Mitsubishi's closure earlier this year, declining US exports and rising steel prices.
Unidrive employee Stephen Andrado says there is an air of uncertainty at the factory.
"No one is sure who will have the finger pointed at them, no one is sure what tomorrow brings," he said.
But those losses have been off-set by hundreds of new jobs at companies including IBM Australia in Ballarat.
It is expanding its workforce by 300 and plans to build a $10-million IT services centre at Ballarat.
Mr Lenders says businesses are taking advantage of the economic conditions.
"We had last year, more than 52,000 extra jobs in Victoria, which is higher than Queensland or Western Australia," he said.
"Clearly what we're seeing is the economy is growing at a slower rate, and some companies are laying off staff, but other companies are actually taking advantage of Victoria's economy and creating jobs."
