Former Prime Minister John Howard says Labor leader Anthony Albanese’s failure to recall the national unemployment rate exposed one of his major drawbacks to lead the country after the federal election on May 21.

Australia’s 25th Prime Minister is in WA bolstering support for the Liberal Party's Hasluck and Swan campaigns and told Liam Bartlett on 6PR Mornings that Albanese's embarrassing gaffe on just the first day of the six-week campaign showed his limitations.

"If he had a reputation for being on top of the economic argument it probably wouldn't have mattered," Howard told Bartlett on Thursday.