Tag Archives: unemploymentrate

Ipswich & rest of Western Corridor suffering disproportionately from Qld’s weak labour market

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Ipswich and other parts of the Western Corridor are suffering disproportionately from Queensland’s weak labour market, according to the most recent estimates produced by the Department of Employment which combine Centrelink and ABS data (see map below, which can be … Continue reading →

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

ABS funding cuts may have compromised macroeconomic management

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Gene Tunny

Given the huge revisions to recent labour force data published by the ABS data yesterday, it’s now clear that the ABS is suffering from the impacts of funding cuts in recent years (see this ABC news report), and this has … Continue reading →

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

Failure of Strong Choices now obvious – missed chance to persuade on asset sales

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland Government should have directly made the case for asset sales, rather than hoping people would conclude they’re necessary after playing the choose-your-own-budget game on the Strong Choices website, a point I’ve made a few times over the last few weeks (see … Continue reading →

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

Qld unemployment rate falls slightly to 6.1% – rising participation a good sign

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Gene Tunny

The March labour force data released today by the ABS, showing the unemployment rate falling to 5.8% from 6.1% in February, were good news for the Australian economy, as reflected in the dollar surging and one prominent commentator forecasting an … Continue reading →

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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

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 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

Qld unemployment rate stable at 6 per cent

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The September 2013 labour force data are out, and they show the Queensland unemployment rate is stable at around 6 per cent (see chart below). While high relative to the pre-financial crisis period when unemployment fell below 4 per cent, … Continue reading →

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