Queensland leads the nation on employment growth

January labour force data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics underlines the strength of the Palaszczuk Government’s Economic Recovery Plan for Queensland.

Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick said Queensland recorded the highest growth in employment in Australia, and the largest fall in unemployment of any state.

“Queensland defied expectations of an Omicron downturn in January, creating 17,400 jobs in the month,” the Treasurer said.

“Australia would have gone backwards without Queensland, given employment increased by just 12,900 across the nation.

“This strength is thanks to our world-leading health response, which allowed our economy to stay open until Queenslanders had sufficient access to vaccinations.

“Since we were first elected, the Palaszczuk Government has seen the creation of more than 1,000 jobs, on average, every single week in Queensland.

“That’s 376,800 new jobs under Labor.”

Queensland’s unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since December 2008, declining by 0.3 per cent to 4.4 per cent.

The participation rate rose by 0.2 per cent to 66.4 per cent, above the national average.

“This is exactly the message we’ve been getting from major national economic surveys across recent weeks,” the Treasurer said.

“The ANZ Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence report released earlier this week showed consumer confidence in Queensland soared by a nation-leading 6.5 per cent.

“The Westpac-Melbourne Institute Survey of Consumer Sentiment showed Queensland consumers were the most confident of any state, while sentiment fell for consumers in New South Wales and Victoria.

“In last week’s NAB Monthly Business Survey, Queensland’s business conditions remained higher than the national average.

“We know supply chain issues and staffing shortages mean some Queensland businesses are doing it tough.

“But we are continuing to follow the path we have charted to recovery, ensuring Queensland is in the best possible position for the rest of 2022 and beyond.”

Media Contact: Geoff Breusch: 0417 272 875