Friday 18 June 2010

FNQ unemployment down to 8.9%

Far North Queensland’s unemployment rate has dropped to 8.9%, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released yesterday.


Member for Leichhardt Jim Turnour says he knows many small businesses are still doing it tough, but says this is good sign that shows the region is rebuilding.

"With economic stimulus projects like school upgrades, social housing developments and road projects underway in the region, they were creating and supporting jobs in the region," Jim Turnour says. "Also, domestic and international flights into Cairns are on the rise."

“I’ve been working hard to attract new flights to Cairns; the government has provided additional marketing support and aviation regulatory reforms, and we are seeing positive results as a result of this.”

The latest tourism data released by the Australian Government shows Tropical North Queensland has outperformed the rest of Australia, increasing its share of domestic overnight tourism expenditure to 4% at a time when spending has remained flat at a national level.

Visitors to the region had the highest spend among Australia's top 20 destinations, and the average length of stay was six nights - higher than any other destination in the top 20.

A second Jobs Expo will be held in Cairns, following one in December that generated around 400 jobs.

"I’m looking forward to another good turn out this time,” Turnour said.

11 comments:

Vicki Louise Preston said...

How many left town to have that much of a drop in the figures???

Still waiting Jim said...

You gotta give it to Jim, whenever a statement is released under his name it is always prefaced with the qualifier that 'he is working hard.'

That is no big deal really...everybody on the public purse, Jim included should at ALL times be working hard.

Sorry to say Jim but no amount of spin will stop you spinning out of office, come next election.

I suggest you start working hard reading the 'hand over manual' so that there can be a smooth hand over.

YK said...

The sooner this guy joins the ranks of the unemployed the better for all.

PaulB said...

O.T, anyone else see the crass piece of push-polling masquerading as a survey for LNP Member Ian McDonald. I hope this isn't a sign of how low our politicians are planning to stoop. Not being partisan here coz I'd be likely to vote LNP if the policies were right, but this is crass.

KitchenSlut said...

Vicki I don't know if and how the ABS incorporate and population estimates or (i suspect?)assumptions in their stats? The latest numbers show a jump in total employed particularly for males (up 4,400) with the male unemployment rate falling well below female.

Employed total:
male:74,400
female: 62,600

Unemployed total:
male: 6,500
female 6,800

Unemployment rate:
male: 8.1%
female 9.8%

Participation rate:
male: 77.1%
female: 67.5%

You can probably crunch those and derive a working age population estimate but not sure that means much without knowledge of ABS methodology. Some of the male stats this month were also flagged with a caution on sample size.

Smithfield Sam said...

Anyone that's lived here longer than a nanosecond knows exactly why employment went up.

The sugar mills , a seasonal employer, started up during the sample period.

This "news" is no news.

KitchenSlut said...

Smithfield Sam,

I tend to agree, particlarly with the sharp change in weather we experienced this year from wet to dry, however no simlilar trend shows up in the previous few years since this series started from the ABS in 2007?

The regional data is I suspect very crude reflecting our miniscule status relative to the national data and doesn't really provide anything of releveance to policy for us?

A backworking of the data seems to suggest that the ABS assumed a population growth around 3% based on previous actual population growth for their data but .... who knows??

Alison Alloway (via Facebook) said...

RE FED GOVT STIMULUS PACKAGES ....Heard Peter Doutre, the Employment Co-ordinator on John MacKenzie's program this morning....nice to hear of all the construction opportunities for unemployed men...but hey, what about employment opportunities for women!! Where the bloody hell is ours?????

I was able to convey that message this morning to Jim Turnour's office....It angers me that idiot women are running around regurgitating John Howard's clanger that "women have now got everything"....like the chickens in "Animal Farm".

Just made a message on Jim Turnour's facebook site about the plight of sole parents being forced to look for work or do voluntary service when their youngest child turns eight. How the hell can they afford childcare?? No WONDER why there are so many kids roaming the streets...I see dozens of them every day.

Gah....I get so mad when I think of the way the gains women made in the 70s and 80s are being eroded...it's like being on a train going back to the 50s....back, back, back....one of the Cairns TAFE executives told me that the biggest TAFE courses for young women are in the "beauty" industry....

Jan from Kewarra said...

To Paul B,

I agree about your comments re the stupid survey whereby they ask a leading Q, Yes, No, don't know answer type stuff that the LNP put out.

However, think outside the square, Paul, and use the Comment space to tell them exactly why you would not vote for them. Remind them just what it is that they have not done for NQ in the last 12 years (before Labor got in) and what they have failed to do since being in opposition ie offer a credible alternative for the absolute Labor circus we currently have!


Having said that, I would not vote Labor either, so my vote is going somewhere, but just not to the big two.

One party cannot manage the nation, the other party cannot manage themselves, let alone anything else!

kate said...

I love the way Turnour takes credit for the lower unemployment figures!!!! What an audacity and then to mention public housing construction boosting the region!!! What a joke. The Palm Cove public housing project is fraught with corruption and huge overspending of taxpayers money. Jim Turnour is out of touch. Jim Turnour is not representing the people of Cairns. Jim Turnour is GGGGGGONE in the next election.....bring it on!!!!

Paul said...

Hi Jan from Kewarra. I used his Email address to tell him.