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The ABS release of their original regional labour force data allows us to update our own Conus/CBC Staff Selection Regional Employment Trend data for Nov. This series, derived from the unadjusted original ABS data, provides a more timely insight into the regional data than the oft-quoted annual averages.
In the year to November Trend employment growth in QLD was just 1.1% (or 28,100) compared to the 2.4% national rate. The Trend analysis allows us to see that Greater Brisbane Trend employment growth has ground to a virtual standstill (just +0.1%, or 1,300) while the Rest of Queensland has accounted for 26,900 new Trend employed at a rate of 2.2% (double the QLD rate of growth and a little below the national rate).
If there is a hidden story here it is the split between full and part-time positions. Greater Brisbane’s modest total employment growth has come from a 10,800 increase in full-time positions while part-time reductions have negated most of those. In the Rest of Queensland the vast bulk of the Trend employment growth has come from part-time employment (+24,300) with full-time positions up a very modest 2,600.
The Trend unemployment rates remained unchanged at 6.5% for Greater Brisbane and 6.1% in the Rest of Queensland. Queensland’s Trend unemployment rate stands at 6.3% (see here for commentary on yesterday’s release).
In our own region, Cairns sees little change with Trend employment down 100 and the unemployment rate edging higher to 6.1%. Trend employment growth in Cairns now stands at +2.1% for the year.
The Conus Industry Jobs Trend data (derived from the quarterly ABS data) was also released today for the quarter to Nov. This shows the biggest gains in the region over the past year were in Retail Trade (+3,200) and Wholesale (+1,600). Industry sectors that went backwards include Administration Services (2,100), Education (-1,800) Health Care (-1,800) and Construction (-1,600). Note these quarterly Trend figures cannot be directly compared to the monthly Trend employment data and tend to be somewhat more lagged.
To our south Townsville saw Trend employment drop by 900 but, on the back of a very sharp reduction in participation, the unemployment rate managed to decrease to 6.4% (its lowest level since Nov 2013). Trend Youth unemployment remains among the State’s highest at 18.3% (the average across the Rest of QLD is 12.1%).
The Conus Industry Jobs Trend data (derived from the quarterly ABS data) was also released today for the quarter to Nov. This shows the biggest gains in the region over the past year were in Health Care (+2,600) and Mining (+2,100). Industry sectors that went backwards include Constrcution (-2,800) and Accommodation & Food Services (-1,300). Note these quarterly Trend figures cannot be directly compared to the monthly Trend employment data and tend to be somewhat more lagged.
The Trend median search for a job in Townsville also remain elevated at 34 weeks, also among the State’s worst. The sharp decline in participation in Townsville is disguising an otherwise weak labour market where Trend employment is almost 16,000 lower than it was 8 years ago, despite population growth since then.
The full Conus/CBC Staff Selection Regional Employment Trend data for QLD is available for download below. Please feel free to use this data but kindly reference it as “Conus/CBC Staff Selection Regional Employment Trend” when you do so. The Conus Industry Jobs Trend data is available on request.
Conus/CBC Staff Selection Regional Employment Trend QLD – Nov 2018
We are proud to have CBC Staff Selection as supporters of the Conus/CBC Staff Selection Trend Employment and Jobseeker data series