Tag Archives: tourism

US recovery on track, while Australian economists wait anxiously for latest National Accounts

The latest US jobs data show an economy that is growing quite nicely, with 178,000 new jobs over the last month, and with unemployment falling to 4.6%, its lowest rate since the financial crisis (see chart below). However, the market … Continue reading

Posted in Agriculture, Macroeconomy, Mining, North Queensland, Townsville, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

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

Comment in Courier-Mail on volatile Qld jobs data

With the huge volatility in State unemployment rate estimates, demonstrated by the ABS seasonally adjusted estimate of Queensland’s unemployment rate falling from 6.4% in January to 5.6% in February, and the SA rate increasing from 6.8% to 7.7%, the ABS … Continue reading

Posted in Labour market, Macroeconomy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

International visitors take advantage of lower Aussie dollar

Expenditure by international visitors to Queensland increased to over $4.9 billion in 2015 from $4.2 billion in 2014, a 19% increase, according to new International Visitor Survey data released by Tourism Research Australia (see chart below). This was less than … Continue reading

Posted in Macroeconomy, Tourism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Surprisingly good jobs data shows economy’s resilience

I am quoted in today’s Courier-Mail regarding yesterday’s surprisingly good jobs data published by the ABS (e.g. see chart above): In a sign the state is working through the mining downturn, there have been 50,800 jobs added since the Palaszczuk … Continue reading

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

Health, aged care & tourism will generate jobs in Qld at the end of the mining boom

At the end of the mining boom, as capital expenditure plummets (chart above) from an elevated level, and ten thousand new jobs expected in the Galilee basin now appear unlikely, it is probably not surprising that some commentators are getting … Continue reading

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

Is the Queensland economy at a standstill?

I’m unsure if the Queensland economy is at a standstill, as suggested by the federal Treasurer Joe Hockey (see today’s Courier-Mail report), but, at best, it is moving slowly and sluggishly. This has meant the Queensland unemployment rate has remained … Continue reading

Posted in Housing, Macroeconomy, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Cafe culture & tourism helping Qld endure end of mining boom

May 2015 employment-by-industry data published by the ABS yesterday confirm some points I’ve been making for the last couple of months (see chart above), particularly that Queensland is enduring the shock from the end of the mining boom relatively well, … Continue reading

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

QCA finds multiple policy failures associated with billions in industry assistance in Qld

It appears that the QCA’s draft report on Industry Assistance in Queensland was released last Friday, a Friday before a long weekend, traditionally a good time to release reports that governments would rather be ignored and forgotten. But this report … Continue reading

Posted in Industry policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Victoria threatens to overtake Qld in international visitors

In a recent post, regarding new ABS data on the State or Territory in which short-term (i.e. for less than one year) international visitors to Australia spent the most time, Mark Beath asks: “Surely Victoria can’t really be about to … Continue reading

Posted in Education, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments