December 13, 2016
Employment data released recently for the June 2016 quarter shows unemployment has dropped in the Toowoomba Local Government Area.
The June quarter unemployment rate was 4.0 per cent, down from 4.4 per cent compared with the previous quarter.
Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio said there had been a continued decline in unemployment over four quarters.
It was also the lowest unemployment figure since December 2010, and was significantly lower than the national average of 5.9 per cent and the Queensland rate of 6.2 per cent.
“Our region is in a fortunate position to take advantage of our expanding economic base which now includes the ability to export produce and goods from our own airport,” Mayor Antonio said.
“Health care and social services, retail trade and education services will be a key driver of future job growth and our own education facilities offer residents the chance to update their skills to respond to the changing job market.
“The Toowoomba Region has experienced solid economic growth in the past decade, with growth averaging 2.4 per cent per year.
“This growth was faster than population growth, which indicates that the region did not rely solely on population growth to boost the regional economy.”
Tuesday’s Toowoomba Council meeting endorsed the Toowoomba Future Employment Study which makes employment predictions for the Toowoomba Region in 2026 and 2041.
“Long-range forecasting about the type of future employment and its location around the region is one of many data sets that will inform land use planning and identify economic priorities to support future employment growth,” Mayor Antonio said.
“The Toowoomba Future Employment Study has determined that total employment in the Toowoomba Region is projected to increase to 91,150 by 2026 and to more than 112,800 jobs by 2041.”
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The unemployment situation in Toowoomba is in stark contrast to figures for the rest of Queensland released on Tuesday by the LNP Opposition.
Shadow Employment Minister Jarrod said Queensland was leading the nation in job losses, and that unemployment was at crisis levels in many regional communities.
He blamed economic mismanagement by Labor for the figures.
“The facts are that this government has allowed unemployment to spiral out of control across the State,” Mr Bleije said.
“We’ve seen even more reports today detailing the jobs crisis in many Queensland communities.
“The Townsville region has seen almost 10,000 jobs disappear in the past year.
“Over the same time period 11,000 jobs have disappeared from Outback Queensland.
“The youth unemployment rate in many regions has skyrocketed – in Outback Queensland it’s 33.7 per cent, in Cairns it’s 27.4 per cent and in Wide Bay it’s 23.8 per cent.”
