ABS figures show people working more hours in SA

Today’s ABS data shows the South Australian economy continues to perform strongly with yet another increase in the number of hours worked as we recorded the second highest number of people in full-time work on record.

“With South Australian employers having 18,000 job vacancies and the Marshall Government embarking on a massive recruitment drive for health workers, there are great opportunities across the state,” said Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni.

“Since the beginning of the year the South Australian economy has delivered 28,700 additional jobs and 62,500 jobs have been created since the depth of the COVID shock.

“The growth in jobs since the depth of the COVID shock highlights the importance of South Australia avoiding the extended economic shutdowns that have wreaked havoc in New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT.

“The latest business report from Deloitte Access showed South Australia has enjoyed the second largest relative growth in employment, behind only Western Australia.

“The National Australia Bank is forecasting strong growth of 4.2 per cent for South Australia’s real Gross State Product in 2021-22 – also the second strongest in the nation and stronger than nation.

“For context, today’s unemployment rate of just 5.1 per cent compares with an average unemployment rate of 6.8 per cent during the last Labor Government.

“South Australia’s participation rate improved again showing that people are confident in their ability to get a job.

“Increasing hours worked in good news for South Australians thinking of buying a house, opening a business or looking to get a loan from the bank.

“These figures illustrate why business confidence in South Australia has never been higher, why young people are choosing to stay and why South Australia is once again attracting people from the eastern states.

“The Marshall Government’s record $17.9 billion infrastructure investment and $4 billion COVID-19 stimulus will continue to create new jobs and opportunities for South Australians, cementing our reputation as the world’s third most liveable city.

“Little wonder that Roy Morgan’s special analysis found that South Australia has “handled the pandemic better than any other state on the employment front”.

“South Australia’s growing prosperity is underpinned by our exceptionally strong performance in handling both the health and economic threats posed by COVID-19.

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