The NSW and Wagga business chambers have welcomed the latest ABS jobs data, published on July 19, showing the strong performance of the NSW economy despite the Riverina unemployment rate remaining relatively higher.
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The NSW economy recorded strong job gains with 27,300 new positions created in June 2018.
This brings the number of jobs created in NSW to 150,434 during the 12-month period leading to June 2018.
NSW accounted for 44 per cent of the 339,000 jobs created nationally.
The ABS figures also show that unemployment in NSW fell to 4.7 per cent while the national rate is 5.4 per cent.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for the Riverina as of April 2018 was 5.1 per cent.
Wagga Business Chamber president Danielle Pascoe said it was encouraging to see an increase in job opportunities across NSW, saying it shows the strength of the economy.
However, while the news about the state figures were mostly positive, Ms Pascoe said things could improve.
“Some of the key issues that affect our region are the high percentage of unemployed youth and lack of skilled labour in certain industries that can make it difficult for employers to find suitable staff to fill the vacancies in their teams.
Some of the key issues that affect our region are the high percentage of unemployed youth and lack of skilled labour in certain industries.
- Danielle Pascoe, president of Wagga Business Chamber
“There are some great programs available [at Wagga Business Chamber] to businesses to help facilitate the introduction of young people into their workplaces,” she said.
Similarly, Carley Bailey, branch manager of CVGT Wagga (a government job agency), said ABS data for the past few years indicates that “the three big areas of construction, manufacturing and agriculture have remained healthy and makes up over 30 per cent of jobs in the Riverina”.
“It’s pleasing to see the strong performance of the NSW economy reflected in the local Wagga and broader Riverina area,” Ms Bailey said.
According to the NSW Business Chamber, the latest data reinforces the state’s standing as Australia’s number one performing economy.
“That’s almost 1,000 new jobs created each day last month, a consequence of booming construction activity and a positive economic plan encouraging business growth across the state,” NSW Business Chamber CEO Stephen Cartwright said.
“These figures show businesses want to invest, and that they are upbeat about the future and the broader economic outlook.
“Going forward, the lift in the payroll tax threshold will provide even more support to smaller businesses looking to hire,” Mr Cartwright said.
- More about the data at the ABS.