Category Archives: Labour market

Mining not the only job generator in two-speed economy

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Gene Tunny

Matt Grudnoff of the Australia Institute has a provocative piece in the Courier-Mail this morning (Newman is digging in wrong hole) in which he calls for the Government to slow down the resources boom due to its adverse impacts on … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Mining | Leave a comment

Unemployment remains high in Far North & Wide Bay-Burnett

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Gene Tunny

OESR’s information brief on the latest ABS regional unemployment data shows that unemployment remains stubbornly high in the tourism-dependent regions of Far North Queensland and Wide Bay-Burnett: These high unemployment rates are no doubt due in part to declines in … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Labour market, Tourism, Wide Bay-Burnett | Leave a comment

Qld employer surveys suggest solid employment growth over rest of 2012

Posted on June 12, 2012 by Gene Tunny

In contrast to the depressing national NAB survey released today (see MacroBusiness for coverage), recent surveys of Queensland employers suggest a rebound in employment in the State, as reported in the Courier-Mail today (Job prospects on the up): According to … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Labour market, Macroeconomy | 1 Comment

Weak labour market consistent with Qld’s mediocre National Accounts data

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Gene Tunny

After seeing today’s new ABS Labour Force data, I’m worrying a bit more about the state of the Queensland economy. Employment in Queensland appears to have contracted slightly in recent months. Here’s a chart I’ve borrowed from OESR’s information brief: … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market | 1 Comment

Qld Treasury expects weak employment growth in short-term

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Gene Tunny

Yesterday’s new ABS labour force data were weird (see OESR information brief). While the Queensland unemployment rate came down to 5.1% seasonally adjusted from 5.5% the month before, employment barely grew. So while unemployment fell, it may have fallen because … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy | 1 Comment

Growth forecasts believable, particularly given Can Do attitude to mining (even on Cape York)

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Gene Tunny

A couple of recent economic forecasts, from the Treasury and my former Treasury colleague Peter Downes, suggest the Australian economy will remain resilient and may even surprise us with stronger than expected performance: Treasury forecasts of 3.25pc growth to put … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Mining | Leave a comment

COAG too slow in delivering reforms – national OHS system long overdue

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Gene Tunny

It’s a pity we have to wait for politicians to become disgruntled before they tell us what they really think, but nonetheless it’s great to see former Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon speaking out about our dysfunctional federation, as reported by … Continue reading →

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Laptops for school students may not be cost effective

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Gene Tunny

A report today confirms the Federal Government’s laptops in schools program is a large burden on schools across Australia, which are struggling to find technical staff to maintain the laptops (Shortfall of information and communications technology technicians hits schools). As … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Labour market | Leave a comment

Treasury needs to read Govt minimum wage submissions more closely

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Gene Tunny

If I remember correctly Australian Government submissions to the national minimum wage review are drafted by the Department of Employment, etc but get cleared by central agencies, including the Treasury, so there is no excuse for an economically illiterate statement … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy | Leave a comment

Far North unemployment spike may just be sampling error

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Gene Tunny

Today’s ABS regional unemployment data contain bad news for the sluggish Far North economy. Loose Change observes (Ugly unemployment): The unemployment rate in the Far North for February is back above 10% with the latest ABS regional numbers released today. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cairns, Labour market | Leave a comment