Category Archives: Labour market

Qld bouncing back nicely after technical recession in 2014

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Gene Tunny

The ABS labour force data for May give me much greater confidence that Queensland is bouncing back nicely from the technical recession we experienced over much of 2014 due to the end of the mining boom (see chart above). Queensland’s … Continue reading →

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Qld losing economic State of Origin at the moment

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Gene Tunny

On the day of the first State of Origin game for 2015, it seems timely to reflect on Queensland’s recent economic performance relative to NSW. Alas, it has not been great, with Queensland actually recording a slight loss of jobs … Continue reading →

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Health & aged care will drive jobs growth in coming years

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Gene Tunny

The March labour force data released yesterday by the ABS show the Queensland unemployment rate has stabilised at around 6.5%, which, while relatively high (see chart above), is not too bad from a historical perspective, as I’ve noted before (Don’t … Continue reading →

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Addressing youth unemployment requires reform of workplace relations policies

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Gene Tunny

Youth unemployment has re-emerged as a significant problem in recent years (see chart above), partly as a result of the general economic sluggishness since the financial crisis. Also, Australia’s inflexible workplace relations regulations are likely playing a role, and youth … Continue reading →

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Cafe culture prevents employment slump

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Gene Tunny

I recall Alan Kohler observing a while ago that everyone is eating out for breakfast on the weekends nowadays. It’s a good thing that people are, from an employment perspective, given that employment growth in cafes, restaurants and hotels has … Continue reading →

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One-in-four part-time workers underemployed

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s relatively weak labour market is reflected not only in the unemployment rate of 6.5%, but in a relatively high rate of underemployment, with around one-in-four part-time workers in Queensland underemployed (i.e. preferring to work more hours than they actually … Continue reading →

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Unemployment much higher in North Qld, Wide Bay, Ipswich and outer Brisbane metro area

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Gene Tunny

The regional dimension to Queensland unemployment is readily apparent from the following unemployment rate maps I’ve produced based on Queensland Treasury’s handy information brief on regional unemployment. Here’s the map for the whole State: My old home town of Townsville … Continue reading →

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Don’t panic about unemployment just yet – still below long-run average

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Gene Tunny

I’ve noticed the Courier-Mail is reporting the incoming Government has “been handed a massive headache with new figures showing unemployment rising and Queenslanders dropping out of the job market.” However, yesterday’s figures simply confirmed the labour market has been lacklustre … Continue reading →

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Low employment growth over the term of the outgoing Qld Government

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Gene Tunny

As an economist, I’m naturally a big believer in the importance of economic factors in society. And I thought one (though not the only) reason for the big swing against the Newman Government was Queensland’s lacklustre economy, which was largely … Continue reading →

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Discouraged workers have moderated rise in unemployment rate since March 2012

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Gene Tunny

In my post last week How many jobs needed to be created over the Qld Government’s first term?, I compared the actual job creation rate of 1,400 per month with the rate of 2,200 per month that would have been … Continue reading →

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