New survey shows slump in Queensland skilled job vacancies
A new Federal Government survey showing Queensland has suffered the biggest decrease in skilled vacancies in the country confirms the state’s status as Australia’s unemployment capital under Anna Bligh and Labor.
State Opposition and LNP Leader John-Paul Langbroek said the figures released today by the Federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations* showed Queensland was far from ‘turning the corner’ on unemployment.
“Over the year to January 2010, decreases in skilled job vacancies were recorded for most States and territories, but the slump in Queensland (down 41.8%) was more than double that recorded in states like Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria,” he said.
“The biggest falls were in the categories of professionals, technical and trades workers.
“This latest survey highlights how difficult it will be to combat rising unemployment, because it is not only the number of jobs decreasing, it is also the number of job vacancies.
“This survey today comes on top of last week’s ‘State of the States’ report in which Queensland ranked lower than South Australia and Tasmania in economic performance, and Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showing Queensland still has the highest unemployment rate in the country.
“These various reports highlight that despite record levels of spending and debt, the Bligh Labor Government’s economic mismanagement is hurting Queenslanders and little headway is being made in the fight against unemployment.
“Anna Bligh and Treasurer Andrew Fraser need to start working with business to create jobs and build prosperity for Queensland. Instead, Bligh and Labor seem hell bent on strangling businesses with more and more red tape, and higher taxes and charges.”
*A copy of the Federal Government’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations skilled vacancies survey is available at
: http://www.workplace.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/9FED48EC-C432-4EC7-9E30-43BB4DF059F0/0/VacancyReportJanuary10.pdf