June 22, 2017
Unemployment in the Wide Bay region – which includes the South Burnett – dropped 0.3 per cent last month, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released by the State Government on Thursday.
However, youth unemployment has risen again … to 24.0 per cent.
Treasurer Curtis Pitt said the figures showed unemployment in the Wide Bay region was 9.0 per cent in May, down 0.3 per cent on April.
“The ABS figures also show a net 10,900 jobs have been created in the Wide Bay since the last election,” Mr Pitt said.
Mr Pitt said the participation rate for the Wide Bay region had risen from 48.2 per cent in January 2015 to 51.2 per cent in May this year.
“This means the unemployment rate has dropped even though more people are entering or re-entering the jobs market,” he said.
Mr Pitt said the ABS regional labour force figures for May showed that general unemployment rates were steady or lower than April in eight of 14 regions outside Brisbane.
The ABS figures showed jobless rates rose from April to May in:
- Moreton Bay North — up 0.3 per cent to 6.7 per cent; down 0.4 per cent on May 2016
- Moreton Bay South — up 0.1 to 4.5 per cent; down 0.4 per cent on May 2016
- Darling Downs/Maranoa — up 0.2 per cent to 3.8 per cent; down 0.1 per cent on May 2016
- Fitzroy — up 0.2 per cent to 7.1 per cent (last year’s figure not supplied)
- Queensland Outback — up 0.6 per cent to 13.2 per cent (last year’s figure not supplied)
- Toowoomba — up 0.1 per cent to 5.6 per cent (last year’s figure not supplied)
Unemployment rates for May fell in:
- Gold Coast — down 0.1 per cent to 5.2 per cent; down 0.2 per cent on May 2016
- Sunshine Coast — down 0.1 per cent to 5.0 per cent; steady on May 2016
- Cairns — down 0.5 per cent to 6.6 per cent; down 1.9 per cent on May 2016
- Mackay — down 0.3 per cent to 5.5 per cent; down 1.5 per cent on May 2016
- Townsville — down 0.1 per cent to 5.6 per cent (last year’s figure not supplied)
- Wide Bay — down 0.3 per cent to 9.0 per cent (last year’s figure not supplied)
Unemployment rates were steady in May in:
- Ipswich — steady at 7.4 per cent; down 0.7 per cent on May 2016
- Logan/Beaudesert — steady at 5.8 per cent; down 0.9 per cent on May 2016
* * *
Youth unemployment rates rose from April to May (last year’s figure not supplied) in:
- Logan/Beaudesert — up 0.1 per cent to 13.3 per cent
- Moreton Bay North — up 0.3 per cent to 12.3 per cent
- Fitzroy — up 0.8 per cent to 13.3 per cent
- Mackay — up 0.2 per cent to 10.4 per cent
- Queensland Outback — up 5.5 per cent to 53.9 per cent
- Toowoomba — up 0.9 per cent to 10.1 per cent
- Wide Bay — up 0.1 per cent to 24.0 per cent
Youth unemployment rates fell or were steady (last year’s figure not supplied) in:
- Ipswich — down 0.3 per cent to 12.8 per cent
- Gold Coast — down 0.4 per cent to 11.5 per cent
- Sunshine Coast — down 0.6 per cent to 10.2 per cent
- Cairns — down 1.0 per cent to 19.6 per cent
- Darling Downs/Maranoa — down 0.6 per cent to 8.8 per cent
- Townsville — down 0.2 per cent to 21.6 per cent
- Moreton Bay South – steady at 10.2 per cent
