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The ABS release of their original labour force July data for the regions today allows us to update our own Conus/CBC Staff Selection Regional Employment Trend data.
We see Trend employment in Cairns lifted 1,000 in July (after June’s increase was also revised up) with 900 of those positions in the full-time sector. Even allowing for an uptick in Trend participation, this sees the unemployment rate drop to 6.4% (after June was revised slightly higher to 6.7%) which is the lowest rate seen this year. Over the past year, however, Trend employment remains down; with the pace of decline now at 4.2%.
The Trend median length of time searching for jobs has also fallen to 16 weeks (the same as for Queensland) and has decreased by 7 weeks since July 2017.
Youth unemployment also continues to drift lower and the Conus/CBC Staff Selection Trend now sits at 11.1%, its lowest rate since September 2012. Trend youth employment has lifted by another 100 this month and is now up 5,400 in the past 12 months.
To our south, in Townsville, there is a rather more confusing picture emerging. While Trend employment barely changed in July (up just 100) the Trend unemployment rate lifted to 9.6% and is now at its worst in almost 18 months. While employment is growing (at 1.9% per year) a significant lift in the rate of participation has kept a lid on any falls in the unemployment rate.
The bright note in all of this is the fact that full time positions have moved ahead strongly. In July the Conus/CBC Staff Selection Trend shows full time positions up 800 and they are now up 5,300 (or 7.4%) over the past 12 months. This compares very favourably with Cairns which has seen full time positions fall 10,300 over the same period.
The Trend median duration of a search for work in Townsville now sits at 33 weeks and is the second longest in the State.
The full Conus/CBC Staff Selection Regional Employment Trend data-set is available for download below. Please feel free to use this data but kindly acknowledge Conus/CBC Staff Selection when you do so.
Conus/CBC Staff Selection Regional Employment Trend QLD – July 2018
We are proud to have CBC Staff Selection as supporters of the Conus/CBC Staff Selection Trend Employment and Jobseeker data series