A two-speed economy is emerging in NSW, the state's opposition has warned, as jobless figures show regional towns are lagging behind Sydney.

Unemployment across regional NSW has risen from 5.9 in March 2011 to 8.3 per cent, and there are a record 17,000 people out of work in the Hunter Valley communities outside Newcastle, Labor says.

"There is a two-speed economy in NSW - those parts of Sydney that Mike Baird can see directly out of his suite in Governor Macquarie Tower and the vast bulk of the state that he thinks about once in a blue moon," Labor's Regional Development spokesman David Harris said on Friday.

"To any family living in regional NSW, the premier's economic boasts look pretty out of touch."