Jobs data
out today is some respite for Tasmania in the midst of hard economic times, but
there’s a long road ahead for economic and social recovery from COVID-19.
Shadow
Treasurer David O’Byrne said Tasmania’s economy was not in good shape prior to
COVID, which makes the impact of the pandemic more significant.
“Today’s
data shows a welcome start to recovery, with the number of people employed up
by 7,000 for the month. It’s particularly heartening to see that two-thirds of
those people are women, who were disproportionately disadvantaged by COVID.
“But the
data also shows underemployment is up and wages are still the lowest in the
country. These challenges were with us before COVID and are not being addressed
as part of recovery.
“The
government needs to do everything it can to protect Tasmanian jobs, and provide
secure employment opportunities. This must be at the heart of its approach to
COVID recovery.
“Labor’s COVID-19 Recovery Package contains numerous
measures to create jobs in key industries, including free TAFE courses to
upskill workers who’ve lost their jobs due to COVID.
“We need to take the right measures now to ensure our recovery leads to better social and economic outcomes for everyone.”
David O’Byrne
Shadow Treasurer
