The Tasmanian economy is going from strength to strength, as recognised yesterday by Commsec in its September quarter ‘State of the States’ report, which showed that once again our economy leads the nation.
Commsec has identified that our economy is performing consistently well across a broad range of measures, and particularly in relation to equipment spending and housing finance – two clear indicators of confidence in both the business and residential sectors.
Commsec also highlighted that Tasmania has experienced the equal strongest wages growth in the nation, together with Queensland.
This fantastic news comes on the back of more good news in recent statistical releases.
Recent building activity data published by the ABS shows that our housing industry continues to deliver for Tasmanians, with the level of construction activity at near-record levels.
In the year to June 2022, there was an average of 3,000 dwellings under construction, which is 16.2 per cent higher than the previous year.
Over the same period there were nearly 3,600 dwelling completions, which is a massive 16.9 per cent higher than the 2020-21 year and the strongest four quarters of completions since March 1995.
Last week the ABS released the latest data on employment, which showed that in September Tasmania’s labour market continued to set new records.
Our total labour force is now 278,200 people, which is 24,300 more than when we were first elected in 2014 – thanks to the very strong population growth that Tasmania has experienced under our government.
With the reduction in unemployment since the disastrous days under Labor, the total level of employment in September hit a new record of 266,200 Tasmanians employed, with 5,400 more people in work over the last year.
We also hit a new record of female employment with 128,800 women in work, which is an increase of 4,800 over the last 12 months.
There are now a staggering 33,100 more Tasmanians in jobs since March 2014, of which nearly two-thirds are full-time. Indeed, in addition to record total employment, record female employment and a record labour force, September also marked a new record for full‑time employment, with 171,600 Tasmanians in full-time work.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government has a clear plan and these outcomes are the result of the strong actions we have taken to rebuild our economy, providing a business friendly, job-creating environment that encourages investment and promotes growth.
At a time when there are more Tasmanians in work than ever, when retail and goods exports are performing strongly, and our State is growing, it is beyond disappointing that a rudderless Labor continues to talk down Tasmania.
