Regional employment Trends; Cairns improves while Rest of QLD beats Greater Brisbane

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Pete Faulkner - Cairns, Jobs, QLD, Townsville, Uncategorized, Youth

The updated Conus/CBC Staff Selection Regional Employment Trend data for August shows the Trend unemployment rate in Cairns stable at 6.3% with the addition of 1,700 to Trend employment. All of those extra positions came in the full-time sector with part-time employment falling 100. A strong increase in Trend participation rate stopped the unemployment rate dropping even further (which would have taken it below the State Trend level). Over the course of the past 12 months Trend employment in Cairn is now down just 1,400 at a rate of -1.1%; compared with a Queensland rate of +2.3%.

To our south Townsville also added to Trend employment (up just 100) but, despite a slight decline in Trend participation, the Trend unemployment rate lifted to 9.2% (although July was revised lower). Trend employment is up 2,400 for the year in Townsville at a rate of +2.3%. Youth unemployment has again lifted and now sits at 18.6%, the second highest in the State.

The regions continue to outperform the capital with the Rest of Queensland seeing the Trend unemployment rate drop to 6.1% while in Greater Brisbane it now sits at 6.5%. While, over the past year, the Rest of Queensland has added 32,600 to Trend employment (+2.7% y/y) Greater Brisbane has managed an increase of 23,700 (+1.9% y/y). As the chart below makes clear the gap which opened up between the two areas in 2016 has yet to close fully.

However, on the bright side for the capital, all of the growth there has been in full-time employment (up 34,500) while in the regions the increase has been split almost evenly between full and part-time positions. Youth unemployment in the regions is now slightly lower than in Brisbane (Rest of Queensland 11.9% versus Greater Brisbane 13.0%).

The complete Regional Employment Trend data is available for download below. Please feel free to use this data but kindly ensure you acknowledge the source as “Conus/CBC Staff Selection Regional Employment Trend” when you do so.

Conus/CBC Staff Selection Regional Employment Trend QLD – Aug 2018