- The ABS reports 7,400 Queenslanders' jobs lost in April
- The Queensland government is calling on the federal government for more support
- The wind-up of JobKeeper ended four months of jobs growth in Queensland
As the federal government’s JobKeeper scheme came to an end, so did the stream of support that was keeping many Queenslanders employed.
Four consecutive months of jobs growth in the state has officially come to an end according to April’s labour force data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
As the assistance dries up, Queensland’s Treasurer and Minister for Investment Cameron Dick reported that April saw 7,400 jobs lost in the state. He said this ran against the tide of recent employment data.
“All the data shows Queensland is in a strong position when it comes to employment growth as we continue to deliver Queensland’s plan for economic recovery,” the Treasurer said.
“However, the April data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the abrupt end of JobKeeper was a setback.
“Since the pandemic first impacted Australia in March 2020, Queensland has seen the largest growth in jobs in Australia, with a 2.1% increase, or an additional 54,900 jobs.
Cameron Dick, Treasurer and Minister for Investment
“Across the last 12 months we’ve seen nation-leading growth in employment (+7.8%), labour force (+6.5%) and the participation rate (+3.4%).
“By comparison, New South Wales, which lost 36,700 jobs in April alone, is yet to recover all the jobs lost during the pandemic.”
Queensland’s Labour government has made calls on the federal government to compensate for the effects of JobKeeper ending.
“We know from last week’s Federal Budget that Scott Morrison is sitting on an election war chest worth about $9 billion in ‘decisions taken but not announced’.
“Scott Morrison must use this money to end his rip off of Queenslanders and to reverse the jobs lost following his abrupt end to JobKeeper.
