David Marler

David Marler

Queensland reporter at No Fibs
David is a full time Queensland carer for his son and in quiet times contributes to NoFibs.
David Marler

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David Marler
https://nofibs.com.au/meeting-david-marler-nofibs-twitter-activist-by-griffithelects

Female underemployment worst since 1978.

The Qld Weekly - No Fibs

Tracking Queensland’s long term unemployment rate.

Queensland trend unemployment was revised up from 6.5 percent in January to 6.6 percent before falling back to 6.5 percent for February. New Queensland Treasurer on the block Curtis Pitt said, “The ABS Labour Force numbers released today show there is work ahead to grow Queensland jobs. Trend unemployment fell 0.1{17ac88c265afb328fa89088ab635a2a63864fdefdd7caa0964376053e8ea14b3} in February 2015 to 6.5{17ac88c265afb328fa89088ab635a2a63864fdefdd7caa0964376053e8ea14b3} but there is much work to do. Even though monthly data can fluctuate, the underlying trends are disappointing, and reinforces the priority we will place on creating jobs collaboratively with business and industry. The number of Queenslanders with a job has risen only 6,400 over the past year, not enough to keep pace with new jobseekers entering the market.”: Curtis Pitt statement on February unemployment figures.

Queensland Treasury and Trade noted for February, “Over the year to February 2015, Queensland’s trend employment rose by 6,400 persons (0.3{17ac88c265afb328fa89088ab635a2a63864fdefdd7caa0964376053e8ea14b3}), driven by a 10,800 increase in female employment.”: Labour Force, February 2015.

Queensland statistical area level 4 (SA4)

Check your region: Queensland statistical area level 4 (SA4)

However, Amy Remeikis noted, “Women’s underemployment in Queensland has reached record highs, at the same time as the state boasts an all-female leadership team and a female-dominant cabinet. The most recent unemployment figures, released on Thursday, continued the state’s trend of having jobless levels above the national average. But it also showed a gender gap in the levels of underemployment, the measure used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to describe part-time staff who want more hours of work than they are granted, or full-time workers who have been reduced to part-time hours. The national underemployment trend rate stood at 8.7 per cent in February, but broken down between men and women it showed women were more likely to suffer, with the national trend rate for male underemployed workers about 4 per cent lower than females, 6.8 per cent to 10.9 per cent. In Queensland, women’s underemployment reached the worst level since records began in 1978, at 11.5 per cent. That was higher than the state total of 9 per cent and nearly five points higher than their male counterparts at 6.9 per cent.”: Female underemployment in Queensland at record highs.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said, “I think I can stand on my record of promoting women in the parliament and also in my cabinet: we have eight female members of the Queensland cabinet. The first leadership team, Premier and deputy are women. I think the Labor Party is well ahead in the stakes of equal opportunity for men and women,” she said.

Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters added that there needed to be “cultural and systemic change”.

“This is startling and warrants further investigation. The huge gap between men and women with some work but looking for more comes on top of the gender pay gap for full-time work, which is sitting at 18.8 per cent – the highest in two decades. Women still perform the bulk of unpaid domestic and caring work for children and elderly relatives. We need cultural and systemic change so that men and women share this work more evenly, affording women more opportunities for paid employment and reducing gender inequality,” she said.

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 stable at 6.5pc.
Qld long term trend unemployment.

Qld long term trend unemployment.

The January trend figure for unemployment was revised up 0.1pc to 6.6pc before falling again to 6.5pc for February. There was a 0.2pc rise in FTE but no rise in PTE.

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: 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 February rose from 6.5pc to 6.7pc. There was no change for FTE but PTE rose 1.3pc.

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.

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 January, the trend gain of FTE was 3,400 but 0 PTE were created. The net gain was 3,400 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: 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 lost 600 FTE jobs for February but gained 8,700 PTE for a net gain of 8,100 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.

Trend: This graph shows the Queensland participation rate versus Australian participation rate by month.

Australia’s trend participation rate remained stable at 64.7pc. Queensland also remained unchanged at 65.3pc.

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: This graph shows the Queensland participation rate versus Australian participation rate by month.

Seasonally adjusted participation rate for Australia fell from 64.7pc to 64.6pc while Queensland participation rate rose from 65.3pc to 65.5pc.

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.

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 17,000 persons and Queensland rose by 3,300 persons.

Employment growth, trend, yearly percentage change
Employment growth, trend, yearly {17ac88c265afb328fa89088ab635a2a63864fdefdd7caa0964376053e8ea14b3} change

Employment growth, trend, yearly {17ac88c265afb328fa89088ab635a2a63864fdefdd7caa0964376053e8ea14b3} change

Unemployment by region
Worst Qld regional unemployment rates

Worst Qld regional unemployment rates

This graph shows the worst unemployment regions of Queensland. Wide Bay rose from 10.1pc to 10.6pc. Moreton Bay – North remained at 8.9pc. Ipswich fell from 8.60pc to 8.2pc. Cairns fell from 7.9pc to 7.7pc. The Sunshine Coast remained stable at 7.3pc.

Unemployment rate by region
Qld unemployment rate by statistical region.

Qld unemployment rate by statistical region.

With the regional average unemployment at 6.4pc, all of the following remain above the state average; Wide Bay rose from 10.1pc to 10.6pc. Moreton Bay – North remained at 8.9pc. Ipswich fell from 8.60pc to 8.2pc. Townsville fell from from 8.6pc to 8.5pc. Logan – Beaudesert rose from 8.4pc to 8.6pc. Cairns fell from 7.9pc to 7.7pc. The Sunshine Coast remained at 7.3pc.

Annual change in employment by region
Annual change in employment by statistical area

Annual change in employment by statistical area

On an annual basis,

Logan – Beaudesert region lost 11,200 FTE & 1,200 PTE for a total loss of 12,400 jobs with unemployment rising from rose from 8.4pc to 8.6pc.

Wide Bay region lost 5,100 FTE and lost 2,500 PTE for total loss of 7,500 jobs whilst unemployment rose from 10.1pc to 10.6pc.

Townsville lost 3,600 FTE but gained 2,700 PTE for a net loss of 2,700 jobs whilst unemployment fell from 8.6pc to 8.5pc..

Cairns lost 3,700 FTE and lost 400 PTE for a total loss of 4,100 jobs whilst unemployment fell from 7.9pc to 7.7pc.

Brisbane – West lost 1,000 FTE and lost 2,600 PTE for a total loss of 3,500 jobs whilst unemployment fell from 6.1pc to 6.0pc.

Darling Downs – Maranoa lost 2,700 FTE but gained 1,100 PTE for a net loss of 1,600 jobs whilst unemployment rose from 3.5pc to 3.6pc.