Tag Archives: abs

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 →

Posted in Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

How many new jobs needed to be created over the Qld Government’s first term?

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Gene Tunny

I was surprised earlier this month when I first saw the Queensland Government’s election campaign ad on TV noting the Government was creating over 1,100 new jobs per month. As I’ve noted previously, while the Government has had a number … Continue reading →

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

Qld Govt benefits from volatile jobs data – still vulnerable over bulk of jobs growth being part-time over first term

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Gene Tunny

The volatile labour force data yielded a nice surprise for the Queensland Government today, with the seasonally adjusted rate falling from 6.8% to 6.1% between November and December last year, and the trend rate falling marginally, too, though staying the … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Qld Govt’s new jobs target much more achievable than previous 4% unemployment rate target

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Gene Tunny

The Premier today announced a relatively conservative employment growth target of 209,000 new jobs over six years, which he based on Treasury advice (see LNP unveils plan for the Jobs of Tomorrow). So long as the economy doesn’t remain in … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Retail turnover has been declining in real terms in Qld, possibly due to lack of fulfilment centres

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Gene Tunny

ABS data released Friday confirmed that Queensland’s retail trade sector remained relatively weak in the lead up to the Christmas period, with nominal retail turnover only increasing slightly by o.1 per cent in November (see chart below). Recent weak results … Continue reading →

Posted in Retail trade | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Employment and unemployment can both increase because labour force grows with population

Posted on January 8, 2015 by Gene Tunny

I’ve noticed there is a bit of confusion around regarding how the Queensland Government can claim employment has grown while at the same time unemployment has increased and the unemployment rate has risen to 6.9 per cent. Employment and unemployment … Continue reading →

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Remarkable cost-cutting performance from Queensland Government

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Gene Tunny

Average input costs for Queensland Government activities appear to have declined by up to 5 per cent since mid-2012, based on State Accounts data from Queensland Treasury, assuming State Government activity mostly drives the State and local general government consumption … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Strong December sales needed after lean year for Queensland retailers

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I’m looking forward to this morning’s Boxing Day sales in Brisbane CBD, which hopefully will live up to expectations of big crowds and high turnover, as historically low interest rates and lower petrol prices free up cash for discretionary spending … Continue reading →

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Boys under-performing at Queensland State Schools

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Gene Tunny

A new ABS study on educational outcomes at Queensland State Schools confirms the importance of socio-economic factors in school performance, and also reveals a surprisingly large gap in NAPLAN performance between boys and girls (see chart below I’ve copied and … Continue reading →

Posted in Education | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Qld waiting for LNG exports to boost economic growth, as internal demand falls away

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The first exports of LNG from Curtis Island off Gladstone are expected to occur later this month, and they can’t come soon enough for the Queensland economy, with our current economic weakness confirmed by State Final Demand estimates in yesterday’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Mining | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments