Government welcomes job surge in regional Tasmania

The Government’s number one priority is jobs and today’s regional employment data released by the ABS is a clear sign that while there is much to be done, we are heading in the right direction.

The south has been the best performing region, with over 4,000 jobs created in the 12 months to February 2015. In Launceston and the North East, almost 1,500 jobs have been created, with the regional unemployment rate dropping by nearly a full percent. The most impressive results have been in the North West though, with the unemployment rate dropping 1.5 percentage points and nearly 2,000 jobs created.

While there is still a long way to go, the fact that tourism is obviously booming, retail is at record highs, the building and construction sector is robust and agriculture and aquaculture are going from strength to strength all point to more jobs being created over the next 12 months.

If those industries are growing then so are the economies of our regional communities, underpinning regional jobs growth.

Our long-term Plan is all about supporting growth and creating jobs and we are getting on with the job.
Peter Gutwein, Treasurer