Tag Archives: jobs

IR reforms could improve employment opportunities for young Australians

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Almost eight years after the 2008 financial crisis, young Australians still face a significantly tougher job market than before the crisis. To illustrate, the employment-to-population ratio for young Australians aged 15 to 24 remains well below rates experienced prior to … Continue reading →

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

Qld unemployment rate creeps up to 6.5 percent due to ongoing weakness in regions

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Gene Tunny

NAB Chief Economist Alan Oster had a memorable quote regarding the latest NAB Business Survey results published in The Australian yesterday: “West Australia is going backwards, South Australia is in no great shakes and Northern Queensland is just as bad, … Continue reading →

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Economic conditions partly responsible for return of Pauline Hanson and One Nation

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Dennis Atkins had an excellent column in the Sunday Mail yesterday analysing the return of Pauline Hanson and One Nation, noting that One Nation voters had: “…rejected the Turnbull mantra of embracing the future because of anxiety about the cost … Continue reading →

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Qld unemployment rate trends up and jobs trend down

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Gene Tunny

The April 2016 ABS jobs data confirm the view I have expressed for a while now that the Queensland economy is under-performing (see charts below and Treasury’s brief). While in South-East Queensland conditions appear reasonable, the regions are struggling with … Continue reading →

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Go Qld campaign moves on to attack payroll tax and penalty rates

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Gene Tunny

The Courier-Mail’s terrific “Go Queensland” campaign has today moved on to the issues of payroll tax and penalty rates, both of which I covered in my paper for the Jobs Growth Summit last week (see related post). I am quoted … Continue reading →

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After Jobs Growth Summit, business groups need to lobby hard for better policies

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Gene Tunny

At today’s Queensland Jobs Growth Summit at Parliament House in Brisbane, I did my best to argue for good economic policy. After Deputy Premier Jackie Trad’s speech, I asked her whether the Government would consider fast-tracking the review of taxi … Continue reading →

Posted in IR, Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tuesday’s Jobs Growth Summit a great opportunity to push for better economic policies

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Gene Tunny

On Tuesday, I will be attending the Queensland Jobs Growth Summit at Parliament House, which is being hosted by UQ’s School of Economics (my occasional employer) and the Australia Institute. My business Adept Economics is one of several Summit sponsors. … Continue reading →

Posted in IR, Labour market, Macroeconomy, Queensland Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Robust SEQ economy distracts us from weakness in regions, particularly in Townsville

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Townsville-based economist Colin Dwyer is getting very worried about his region’s economy, noting in an email to his mailing list today that: “Economic conditions have deteriorated in North Australia’s largest city.  The unemployment rate is the worst it’s been for … Continue reading →

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Qld unemployment rate appears stuck around 6%, while national rate falls

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s under-performing economy was illustrated by March labour force data released by the ABS today. The State’s unemployment rate appears stuck around 6%, while the national unemployment rate continues its steady decline, with the seasonally adjusted national rate falling from … Continue reading →

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Mining, North Queensland, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Qld Jobs Growth Summit timely, but needs to be more than a talkfest

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s under-performing economy was illustrated by job vacancies data for February released by the ABS today (see chart above). While vacancies have grown strongly over the last twelve months nationwide, especially in NSW and Victoria, they have remained flat in … Continue reading →

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