Tag Archives: abs

New ABS figures show two of the four pillars are crumbling – agriculture & mining

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Gene Tunny

New quarterly employment by industry data confirm falling employment levels in two of the so-called four pillars of the Queensland economy: agriculture and mining (see chart below). Regarding the other two pillars, construction employment appears flat and the ABS does … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Mining | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Vehicle sales affected by weak consumer confidence & Gen Y habits

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Gene Tunny

New motor vehicle sales in Queensland in August were almost 9% lower than in August 2013, according to ABS data released yesterday. There are at least three contributing factors: persistently weak consumer confidence (see Consumer sentiment slumps as budget worries … Continue reading →

Posted in Brisbane, Housing, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

4% unemployment rate target looking much less achievable now

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Gene Tunny

With Queensland’s unemployment rate at 6.7%, compared with 5.8% one year ago, debate has resumed over the Government’s pledge to reduce unemployment to 4% within two terms (see the Courier-Mail’s coverage). I’ve previously commented that, when the promise was made, … Continue reading →

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

Long-term trend in average working hours – big drop over last 100 years

Posted on August 31, 2014 by Gene Tunny

A comment from a reader on my Friday post on robotics and automation got me thinking about long-term trends in average working hours. Historical data on standard male working hours (from Glenn Withers’s chapter in Vamplew’s Australians: Historical Statistics), which … Continue reading →

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

Unemployment keeps rising as sub-trend growth continues

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Gene Tunny

According to ABS labour force data just released, Queensland’s unemployment rate is now 6.8% seasonally adjusted and 6.5% in trend terms (see chart below). In part, this must be related to the mining slowdown and the sub-trend economic growth we’ve … Continue reading →

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Brisbane to have a denser inner city, but urban sprawl as well

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I’ve written before about how residential building development is being concentrated in a few former commercial areas in the inner city and outer suburban areas such as North Lakes and Springfield (Where is residential development occurring in the Brisbane metro … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Health, fitness and software publishing are promising sectors for new Qld businesses

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Over the year to June 2013, which saw a decline in total business numbers according to ABS Business Counts data, some Queensland industry sectors nonetheless saw growth in business numbers, particularly health, fitness and software publishing (see chart below based … Continue reading →

Posted in Health | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lack of consumer confidence reflected in new vehicle sales – but trend towards SUVs continues

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Anxious consumers and businesses remained reluctant to purchase new motor vehicles in May, with new vehicle sales 2.1% lower than in April and 4.3% lower than in May 2013 (see ABS summary). Both vehicles for personal and business use appear … Continue reading →

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Tourism & Events Qld deserved funding cut – no turnaround in share of international visitors

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I was pleased to see the Government cut funding to Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) in the State Budget earlier this week (Tourism and Events Queensland budget slashed by $4.9m), because I’ve always doubted the value of its promotion activities, … Continue reading →

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Queensland Treasurer will deliver necessary though unpopular Budget

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Today the Queensland Treasurer will deliver a State Budget that is necessary, but which is likely to be unpopular. It is necessary because getting State debt under control and restoring our AAA credit rating needs to be done now, to reduce … Continue reading →

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