Tag Archives: unemploymentrate

Very surprising employment numbers for Qld – ABS needs to investigate volatility

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Given the low levels of job vacancies toward the end of 2012 (see this previous post), I’m very surprised to see the strong rebound in employment in January (30,200 new jobs) and the unemployment rate dropping to 5.5% from 6.1% … Continue reading →

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Gold Coast shouldn’t expect too much of an impact from big events

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Gene Tunny

After several years of poor economic conditions which are only now improving, it’s understandable the Gold Coast is excited about the economic potential of some upcoming big events, such as the 2013 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships. The Gold Coast … Continue reading →

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Why is Qld’s participation rate higher than the rest of Australia’s?

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Gene Tunny

Queensland’s labour force participation rate is slightly higher than the national average (see chart below), and historically this has been cited as a reason for a higher unemployment rate than the national average, as I discussed in a post last … Continue reading →

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People marginally attached to the labour force behind participation rate movements

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Gene Tunny

In the early 2000s, when Queensland’s unemployment rate seemed permanently stuck around 1-2 percentage points above the national average, it was common for Premier Beattie and Employment Minister Braddy to note that our relatively higher participation rate placed us at … Continue reading →

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Brisbane metro labour market in bad shape

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Gene Tunny

According to ABS regional labour force data, the latest batch of which was released today, the rise in Queensland’s unemployment rate over 2012 was driven by a weakening labour market in the Brisbane metro area – a deterioration which was … Continue reading →

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Qld’s sluggish labour market persists – unemployment at 6.2% (compared with 5.4% nationally)

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Gene Tunny

The Queensland unemployment rate was recorded at 6.2% (seasonally adjusted) in December 2012, up slightly from 6.1% in the previous month. The number of unemployed persons has increased to nearly 154,000, compared with 130,000 twelve months previously. The result is … Continue reading →

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Unemployment rate may have peaked

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Gene Tunny

There is great news in the ABS Labour force data for November that were released today. Unemployment may have peaked and hopefully we won’t see a repeat of the awful September quarter National Accounts result for Queensland that we saw … Continue reading →

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Temporary weakness due to public sector restraint continues

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Gene Tunny

Today’s ABS labour force data weren’t encouraging for Queensland, with the unemployment rate remaining significantly higher than the national average, as shown in this chart from OESR’s labour force brief: I remain of the view that Queensland’s higher unemployment rate … Continue reading →

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