Tracking Queensland’s long term unemployment rate.
Queensland Treasury and Trade notes for December, “Trend employment in Queensland fell for the seventh consecutive month, down 600 persons (0.0%) in December 2014. This result was driven by a 4,400 person decline in part-time employment, while full-time employment rose 3,800 in December”: Labour Force, December 2014.
Check your region: Queensland statistical area level 4 (SA4)
The trend participation rate, the number of people engaged in the workforce, fell again to 65.2pc. Treasury notes, “The trend participation rate continued to edge lower, down 0.1 percentage point in December 2014, to 65.2%. Queensland’s trend participation rate has fallen 1.1 percentage points over the past seven months, to its lowest rate since late 2004.
Below is the long term data reflected in graphical form. All data is based on ‘Labour force’ from Queensland Treasury and Trade.
All regional data comes from ‘Regional labour force’ from Queensland Treasury and Trade and generally follows a week behind the general data.
Politicians frequently switch between trend and seasonally adjusted data based on which is more favourable to them. As reflected below, seasonally adjusted data tends to be more erratic than trend. Gaps in seasonally adjusted data appear below due to glitches in the Australian Bureau of Statistics calculation methods.
The acronyms FTE and PTE refer to full-time employment and part-time employment respectively.
Queensland’s trend unemployment remained at 6.6pc.
Qld long term trend unemployment.
The November trend figure for unemployment was revised down from 6.8pc to 6.6pc. In December there was a 0.2pc rise in FTE and a -0.6pc fall in PTE. Unemployment rose from remained stady at 6.6pc.
Queensland’s seasonally adjusted unemployment.
Seasonally adjusted: This graph shows the monthly percentage change in Queensland’s full time employment (FTE) and Part Time Employment (PTE) versus the Qld unemployment rate.
Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November was revised down from 6.9pc to 6.8pc. For December, the unemployment rate fell from 6.8pc to 6.1pc. FTE rose 2.1pc but PTE fell 1.7pc.
Trend Queensland job creation; FTE & PTE to total jobs.
Trend: This graph shows the number of jobs created or lost per month, both Full Time Employment (FTE) and Part Time Employment (PTE). Total jobs growth is shown in green.
In trend terms for December, the trend gain of FTE was 3,800 but PTE loss was 4,400. The net loss was 600 jobs.
Seasonally adjusted Queensland job creation; FTE & PTE to total jobs.
Seasonally adjusted: This graph shows the number of jobs created or lost per month, both Full Time Employment (FTE) and Part Time Employment (PTE). Total jobs growth is shown in green.
Seasonally adjusted, Queensland created 34,400 FTE jobs for December and lost 11,900 PTE for a net gain of 22,500 jobs. (Due to a glitch at the ABS, there was no data supplied for September job creation).
Trend Queensland participation rate versus Australian participation rate.
Trend: This graph shows the Queensland participation rate versus Australian participation rate by month.
Australia’s trend participation rate remained stable at 64.6pc. However, Queensland’s trend participation rate has fallen two notches to 65.3pc, the lowest rate in a decade.
Seasonally adjusted Queensland participation rate versus Australian participation rate.
Seasonally adjusted: This graph shows the Queensland participation rate versus Australian participation rate by month.
Seasonally adjusted participation rate for Australia rose a notch from 64.7pc to 64.8pc while Queensland remained on 65.3pc.
Trend Queensland labour force to Australian labour force.
Trend: This graph shows the monthly percentage change in Queensland’s Labour Force Vs Australia’s Labour Force
In terms of trend Labour force, Australia rose by 15,000 persons but Queensland fell by 2,000 persons.
Employment growth, trend, yearly percentage change
Employment growth, trend, yearly % change
Unemployment by region
Worst Qld regional unemployment rates
This graph shows the worst unemployment regions of Queensland. Moreton Bay – North fell from 9.3pc to 9.0pc. Wide Bay rose from 9.2pc to 9.6pc. Cairns fell from 8.1pc to 8.1pc. The Sunshine Coast remained at 7.4pc.
Unemployment rate by region
Qld unemployment rate by statistical region.
With the regional average unemployment at 6.4pc, all of the following remain above the state average; Moreton Bay – North fell from 9.3pc to 9.0pc, Ipswich fell from 9.2pc to 9.0pc, Wide Bay rose from 9.21pc to 9.6pc, Townsville rose from 8.3pc to 8.5pc, Cairns rose from 7.9pc to 8.1pc, , Logan – Beaudesert rose from 7.9pc to 8.1pc and Sunshine Coast remained at 7.4p.
Annual change in employment by region
Annual change in employment by statistical area
On an annual basis,
Logan – Beaudesert region lost 13,200 FTE & 2,800 PTE for a total loss of 16,000 jobs with unemployment rising from 7.9pc to 8.1pc.
Wide Bay region lost 4,400 FTE and lost 3,200 PTE for total loss of 7,600 jobs whilst unemployment rose from 9.2pc to 9.6pc.
Townsville lost 4,700 FTE but gained 500 PTE for a net loss of 4,300 jobs whilst unemployment rose from 8.3pc to 8.5pc.
Cairns lost 4,000 FTE and lost 1,200 PTE for a total loss of 5,200 jobs whilst unemployment fell from 8.1pc to 8.0pc.
Brisbane – West lost 2,100 FTE and lost 1000 PTE for a total loss of 3,100 jobs whilst unemployment rose from 5.7pc to 5.8pc.
Darling Downs – Maranoa lost 1,800 FTE but gained 500 PTE for a net loss of 1,300 jobs whilst unemployment fell from 3.8pc to 3.7pc.
David, always value your comments, thanks.