Jobs data out today shows some key sectors in Tasmania are going backwards and require more targeted support to make it out the other side of COVID-19.
Shadow Treasurer David O’Byrne said the latest from the ABS shows Tasmanian jobs are down by 4.3%, or over 11,000 jobs, since March.
“Jobs losses are still higher in Tasmania than anywhere except Victoria and the ACT. Our slower recovery means too many Tasmanians remain out of work,” Mr O’Byrne said.
“More than one-third of job losses have been in the tourism and hospitality sector, which has lost around 4,100 jobs since March. Alarmingly, today’s figures indicate the sector has shed 850 jobs in the past fortnight.
“This alone should force the Premier to rethink his support for the looming cuts to JobKeeper. Cutting JobKeeper is just too risky right now.
“There are also around 3,100 fewer people employed in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors compared to March, which in percentage terms is worse than anywhere in the country. Again, it’s alarming Tasmania appears to be going backwards – jobs in these sectors have fallen 3.5 percentage points in the past month.
“And with the government’s ongoing failure to get major infrastructure projects out the door, the construction sector has lost nearly 1,000 jobs – around 200 more than a month ago.
“Cuts to JobKeeper and JobSeeker are just a week away from taking money out of the economy and the pockets of struggling Tasmanians, putting even more jobs at risk. To make matters worse, the Government has no plan for jobs.
“I again urge the government to look to , which sets out a plan across to get Tasmanians back into jobs, help those hardest hit by the pandemic and create a better and fairer Tasmania.”
David O’Byrne MP
Shadow Treasurer
