This has improved since January this year when Ararat's unemployment rate was 4.19%.

Ararat Rural City Council chief executive Dr Tim Harrison said the record low was "an extraordinary result" for the Ararat community.

"An unemployment rate of 3.1% represents effective full employment, sitting more than 2% below the pre-pandemic rate of 5.2% in December 2019 and 4.4% below a 7.5% unemployment rate just five years ago," he said.

"This is an extraordinary result, proving that business investment, new planning approvals and population growth has created a strong and robust economy in Ararat.

"The Commonwealth employment data also mirrors the findings of Council's Businesses Occupancy Survey, with new businesses contributing to an office and retail vacancy rate in the Ararat CBD of just 3.3%."

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Dr Harrison congratulated local businesses and the community for coming together to show their confidence in Ararat despite the continued impact of the pandemic.

"These results have not come easily, and it's a testament to the collective effort of our community for joining together by taking on the circumstances brought on by the pandemic and shifting up a gear," he said.

"The work we have done to invest record levels of funding in capital works to improve local roads and community infrastructure not only keeps people in jobs but has made Ararat more liveable, sustainable, and productive."

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Dr Harrison said an influx of people migrating to Ararat who are looking to escape the city would help grow local businesses.

"With an accelerated shift to the regions underway created by the exodus of people escaping capital cities who are looking for jobs and a tree change, we are ready to offer them an enviable lifestyle, employment and freedom," he said.

"These businesses need an in-migration of workers to continue expansion, with workers and their families needing housing.

"A booming local real estate market, Council's 'red-carpet not red-tape approach' to planning, and recent funding from the Victorian Government to deliver trunk infrastructure connections to the Ararat East Development Zone has begun to turn this situation around.

"Renewed market confidence is now leveraging financing and development investment in Ararat to get a number of housing projects underway.

"This includes the Evans Park Estate, Chalambar Links Estate, Greenhill Lake Development and infill development projects which will make a major contribution to growing the critical mass of the Ararat population, setting us up for our prosperity to continue."

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