Page 18 - Tropic Magazine Issue 21

TROPIC • EMPLOYMENT

On the upside

JOBS GROWTH
Jobs galore
Economist Pete Faulkner from Key numbers from the year
Conus Business Consultancy to September 2019
Services reflects on a strong
year for employment in Cairns. 14,000+
Increase in number of
When it comes to employment, the trend people employed
is always a more reliable tool to tell the 12% vs 2.4%
full story. And the story for employment Growth in Cairns vs
in the Cairns region on a trend basis is whole of Queensland 3
clear: it’s been a strong 12 months. The
Conus/CBC Staff Selection Trend derived 4700+
from original ABS data (for the 12 months Growth in
to September) shows the number of construction jobs
people employed increased by more than
14,000 over the past year. Despite some - 2900
Fall in retail jobs

Source: Conus
Encouragingly, the Indeed, the number of people in full-time 4
increases have come employment is now more than 90,000 The most recent quarterly Conus Trend
for the first time.
Industry Employment data (for August)
predominantly in full-time The trend unemployment rate, which shows the industry sectors seeing the
positions got as low as 4% at the start of 2019, has most significant gains over the year
increased since then and now sits at 6.2%;
have been Construction (+4,700) and
higher than the national level but still
Pete Faulkner Education (+3,000). The greatest decline
Conus below that seen across Queensland as a was in Retail (-2,900), which will come
whole. The reason the unemployment as little surprise to most people aware
slowing in the pace of growth in the third rate has moved higher despite strong of the sluggish consumer spending
quarter of 2019, it’s a growth rate of 12% employment growth is a sharp increase seen across the nation in the face of
per annum, significantly stronger than in participation; many more people have weak income growth. The Healthcare
national and state growth of 2.4%. There entered the workforce (those either in and Social Assistance sector, which has
are now 132,000 people employed across work or looking for work) as confidence seen huge growth over the past decade
the region. That’s within 500 of the returns to a labour market that has had both in Cairns and across the nation,
all-time high. some challenges in recent years. The rate is now the single largest employment
Most of this new employment has come of participation now sits at levels not seen sector, accounting for more than 13%
in the middle-aged cohort (+10,900), with in this region for six-and-a-half years. of employment. ‘Tourism’, which isn’t
other age groups seeing more modest Were it not for this surge in participation, identified as its own industry sector
increases. Encouragingly, the increases the trend unemployment rate would in the data, has seen slight falls during
have come predominantly in full-time be much lower. the year and, when considered against
positions which are up almost 13,000. a decade ago, is certainly no longer as
dominant as it once was.
1. The retail sector has been doing it tough
2. Worklink’s Thrive healthcare and social
service team
3. MiHaven Training apprentice on the tools
4. CQUniversity staff and students in class at the
Cairns campus.

1 MORE: Email [email protected]
or visit conus.com.au
2

18 • Tropic • Issue 21