Premier Peter Gutwein is refusing to acknowledge the reality of Tasmania’s worsening jobs market and, as a result, has no plan to turn things around.
ABS jobs data over the past week has painted a grim picture of the state’s stalled jobs recovery.
Shadow Treasurer David O’Byrne said Peter Gutwein is all too happy to spin economic good news, but when it comes to the unemployment crisis unfolding in Tasmania he has fallen silent.
“The latest data shows the number of jobs in Tasmania has fallen by 2,200 since August, with our unemployment rate now at 7.4%. That’s up a full percentage point from 6.4% last month,” Mr O’Byrne said
“Wages in Tasmania have also fallen, down by 2.3% which is bad news for those who continue to hold onto a job. And it raises concerns about the pandemic being used to trigger a race to the bottom for Tasmanian wage earners.
“Peter Gutwein can’t continue to ignore worrying jobs data that shows the recession is cutting deeply in Tasmania.
“He has done nothing to give Tasmanians confidence that he has a plan to get them back into work.
“At a time when 38,000 Tasmanians are relying on JobSeeker, Peter Gutwein has done nothing to demonstrate that he has any plan to stop the decline and start getting Tasmanians back into work.
“Only Labor has a plan for jobs. Labor’s COVID-19 Recovery Package sets out a plan to get Tasmanians back into jobs and help those hardest hit by the pandemic.”
David O’Byrne MP
Shadow Treasurer
