Tag Archives: abs

Interstate migration to Qld remains low, probably reflecting sluggish labour market

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I remember it was once common in Australian TV shows to have characters move to Queensland when the actors wanted to leave the series or a character was no longer popular. The TV shows had obviously noticed the popularity of Queensland … Continue reading →

Posted in Migration, Population | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Qld unemployment hot spots – Ipswich, Cairns and Wide Bay

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I’ve prepared some maps of regional unemployment rates based on last week’s new regional labour force data from the ABS for February 2014 (see below). The figures I’ve used are taken from Queensland Treasury’s information brief, which presents 12-month moving … Continue reading →

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

Something for the optimists in today’s labour force data

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Gene Tunny

My friend and former Treasury colleague Joe Branigan has found some good news for Queensland in today’s new labour force data. Earlier today, Joe tweeted an interesting chart (see below), showing Queensland has led Australia in the growth of hours … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Residential building approvals have recovered nicely – but some weakness still in regions

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Gene Tunny

It appears Master Builders Queensland was right to report last month that Queensland builders are optimistic (see my post on the report), with today’s new residential building approvals from the ABS showing a strong upward trend nationally and in Queensland … Continue reading →

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

Sorry to tell you, QTC, but the labour market is not a lagging indicator

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I’m glad Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC) remains optimistic about the economic outlook, even after last week’s discouraging labour force data, but I’m afraid one reason behind its optimism is unfounded. In its Weekly Market and Economics Review sent out via … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Removing second-hand car import restrictions could significantly lower car prices

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I was happy to learn from a former Canberra colleague yesterday that I’m cited in the Productivity Commission’s January 2014 Position Paper on the car industry, regarding the benefits that would come from removing the restriction on second-hand car imports. … Continue reading →

Posted in Industry policy, Labour market | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Qld businesses more optimistic than current conditions suggest they probably should be

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The December quarter edition of the timely and very useful CCIQ-Westpac Pulse Report released yesterday confirms reasonably high levels of confidence among Queensland businesses and a continuing improvement in business conditions. While CCIQ considers confidence is no longer running ahead of … Continue reading →

Posted in Macroeconomy, Retail trade | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Billions of benefits from selling Gladstone and Townsville ports

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Gene Tunny

My colleague and friend Brad Rogers, who is also Secretary of the Queensland branch of the Economic Society of Australia, has written a nice post arguing for privatisation of Queensland’s Government-owned ports at his new blog: Queensland Ports For Sale Brad … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Housing, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Qld jobs market remains sluggish – unlikely trend unemployment rate fell last month

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Today’s labour force data from the ABS confirmed that the jobs market remains sluggish, with Queensland’s unemployment rate at 5.9 per cent in seasonally adjusted terms. Unfortunately, the ABS data aren’t very precise for Queensland and it’s hard to have … Continue reading →

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

Good pick up in home loans in Qld over 2013

Posted on January 13, 2014 by Gene Tunny

I agree with MacroBusiness’s assessment (New home finance takes a breather) that the number of loans for the construction or purchase of new houses, which is linked closely with the health of the building industry, picked up in Queensland over … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments