Category Archives: Labour market

Why is Australia’s workforce participation rate at a record high of 66.1%?

Posted on August 24, 2019 by

The first episode of the new season of Utopia on the ABC featured the Intergenerational Report, which projects an eventual reduction in the workforce participation rate due to an ageing population. At the moment, however, Australia’s participation rate is actually … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Qld can no longer blame a higher participation rate for its higher unemployment rate

Posted on July 28, 2019 by

Queensland has typically had a higher unemployment rate than the national average, and for many years this has been attributed by some commentators to Queensland having a higher workforce participation rate (and proportionately more people wanting to work).[1] But Queensland’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Brisbane Club presentation on Qld economy & latest Value of the Census post at the Mandarin

Posted on June 24, 2019 by

Last Friday, I presented my thoughts on the economic outlook and the recent Queensland state budget at the Brisbane Club. I highlighted the positives (e.g. resource exports, international education) and negatives (e.g. low business confidence and subdued business investment across … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Bad economic news keeps coming – declining job vacancies & inverted US yield curve

Posted on March 25, 2019 by

The federal Department of Jobs and Small Business published its February 2019 internet job vacancies data last week, and it revealed a continuation of the downward trend in job vacancies, which were 5.5% lower in Queensland and 4.0% lower nationally … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Qld economy continues to disappoint

Posted on December 6, 2018 by

Queensland’s economic under-performance, which I’ve been commenting on regularly (e.g. see Deloitte’s weird definition of “strong employment growth”), is a major part of the reason why Australia’s GDP growth for September quarter came in lower than expected yesterday. The ABS … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Industry groups right to say Qld economy failing to create the number of jobs needed

Posted on December 2, 2018 by

I am pleased to see that peak industry bodies (e.g. the Property Council of Australia and the Infrastructure Association of Qld) are saying the same thing I have been regarding Queensland’s lacklustre jobs growth, with the Sunday Mail* today reporting: … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Deloitte’s weird definition of “strong employment growth” for Qld

Posted on December 1, 2018 by

I was surprised when I read Deloitte’s latest commentary on the Queensland economy, as reported by the Courier-Mail on Thursday (Jobless rate hides Qld’s economic success story), because the commentary makes little sense: QUEENSLAND’S economy is performing strongly despite the country’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments