Mayor’s reply to shock figures
MAYOR Paul Antonio has suggested the loss of major projects is behind why Toowoomba’s workforce dropped by more than 4000 people over the past 12 months.
New labour data from the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office showed the region’s workforce, which includes the greater Toowoomba area and the Lockyer Valley, was 70,600 people in March.
The figure represents a 5.5 per cent drop from March 2021, worth roughly 4100 workers.
Mr Antonio said the figures could be due to a variety of factors.
“While it is difficult to definitively pinpoint the exact causes behind the statistical measurements, it could be linked to specific major projects, particularly in the construction sector and the effects of flooding on seasonal workers, especially in the Lockyer Valley,” he said in a statement.
“The most recent downturn could reflect the end of some bigger projects, possibly including the Wellcamp Quarantine facility.
“Extensive flooding across the Lockyer Valley and TRC in February and March this year could further explain the latest change in employment recorded in March 2022. It could indicate people have retired, or joined the nationwide movement in employment, including working remotely.”
Groom MP Garth Hamilton said the figures showed why projects like the Inland Rail needed to be fast-tracked.
“The economy remains the key issue of this election and there are many challenges we still need to face,” he said.
“The most recent regional labour force figures show why we need to continue securing new projects and driving growth in our region.
“That is why I’ve fought for projects like Toowoomba’s Railway Parklands, New Acland Coal Mine and Inland Rail, which will bring more than 900 hundred jobs to our region at the peak of construction.”
His Labor opponent Gen Allpass blamed the figure partly on the Coalition’s approach to the public sector.
“They have gutted public services systematically, privatising and providing jobs for mates, which reflects in these figures,” she said.
“What it shows is we need to be doing more locally here, such as manufacturing and being open to new projects.”