The April 2016 ABS jobs data confirm the view I have expressed for a while now that the Queensland economy is under-performing (see charts below and Treasury’s brief). While in South-East Queensland conditions appear reasonable, the regions are struggling with the impacts of the mining downturn and drought, and this translates into a lacklustre State economy in aggregate. The paper I prepared for last month’s Jobs Growth Summit is still relevant, and I would again urge the State Government to consider the recommendations I made within it for boosting employment, such as cutting payroll tax, deregulating retail trading hours, legalising Uber, and other reforms.