Reopening key to our recovery
NORTH Queensland experienced an increase in the number of working people and a drop in unemployment before the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, according to fresh data.
This has sparked a call from Townsville Enterprise for businesses to reopen as early as possible to keep the economic momentum.
The Townsville region recorded 113,483 employed people for the six-month average for March this year, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. By March, the six month rolling average unemployment rate had declined to 7.2 per cent down from 8.5 per cent in August 2019
Townsville Enterprise director policy and investment Wayde Chiesa said people needed to go back to work as soon as they could.
NORTH Queensland experienced an increase in the number of working people and a drop in unemployment before the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, according to fresh data.
This has sparked a call from Townsville Enterprise for businesses to reopen as early as possible to keep the economic momentum.
The Townsville region recorded 113,483 employed people for the six-month average for March this year, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
By March, the six-month rolling average unemployment rate had declined to 7.2 per cent down from 8.5 per cent in August 2019. The total labour force was 122,297.
Townsville Enterprise director policy and investment Wayde Chiesa said the region’s economic outlook was improving, but people needed to go back to work as soon as they could to further strengthen it.
“Prior to COVID-19, the Townsville North Queensland region was seeing positive employment growth, indicating a trend towards an economic resurgence and putting the regional economy in a strong position to recover faster post pandemic,” he said.
“There is no doubt that our region has taken a hit during this pandemic, which is why as soon as the economic impacts were felt, we delivered an Economic Action Plan to all levels of government identifying the immediate and longterm projects and policies.
“That would not only support the community through the initial impacts of coronavirus but also look to the future and at North Queensland’s major projects that could lead the nation’s economic recovery.”
Mr Chiesa said projects delivered in the Economic Action Plan would see North Queensland create jobs and build upon its existing industries.
“North Queensland’s strengths of agriculture, mining, advanced manufacturing, defence and health … are in fact very well aligned with the nation’s,” he said.
“Now is the time, with the right government investment and regulatory and policy framework, to build on those existing strengths and play a large role in the national recovery.
“These are the industries that will support rebuilding our tourism, events and hospitality sector, which has been the most severely impacted during this pandemic, and is essential to the make-up of our economy and lifestyle.”
Mr Chiesa said it was imperative to work with government to safely reopen businesses without compromising public health.
“We are keeping the health and wellbeing of our community at the forefront of our minds and in all future considerations,” he said.