Only ten new vacancies were added to the Tasmanian job market in September according to data released, on Wednesday, as part of the Vacancy Report from the Internet Vacancy Index.
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The IVI report, which is the only source of data on online job advertisements, showed Tasmania had the lowest increase in job ads in the month of September and the second lowest increase as a percentage only behind the Australian Capital Territory.
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, released earlier this week, showed a 2.3 per cent decrease in the amount of total wages paid to Tasmanian workers between September 19 and October 3.
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Deputy opposition leader Michelle O'Byrne said the data pointed to a growing jobs crisis in Tasmania which the government had no plan to address.
"We have seen a drop in the amount of employment opportunities for Tasmanians across the state, more heavily in our regions. What we have seen is that their are now 38,000 jobseekers competing for some 1,800 jobs that were advertised," Ms O'Byrne said.
"What worries me the most is that we have a government that have been happy to spruik good employment news whenever it is there but have gone silent on issues such as this. We are in a jobs crisis that is only going to get worse. What we don't have from this government is a response or a pathway out."
Ms O'Byrne also called on the premier to push back on the sacking of more than 400 Centrelink staff from a call centre in Victoria.
Premier Peter Gutwein said the government had a very clear plan focused on job creation coming out of the pandemic.
He said a $3.1 billion construction blitz would underpin about 15,000 jobs and complemented a $360 million federal investment in roads and bridges which would create 2,200 jobs.
"The Government is doing everything it can to support confidence, drive investment and create jobs. Due to our strong budget position we were able deliver the largest social and economic support package in the country at over $1 billion," Mr Gutwein said.
"We have the best business conditions in the nation, and have achieved this every month this year according to the NAB Business Survey, placing us in a positive position as we continue our recovery.
"In classic Labor spin, Ms O'Byrne says she welcomes every job and business that has survived. Yet she neglects to say that 12,400 Tasmanians have returned to work since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May, and that despite the pandemic, there are more Tasmanians employed than this time last year. What's more - Tasmania was one of the few states to see more job vacancies in September than a year ago."
Mr Gutwein said he had been advised that the Centrelink employees who were fired from call centre jobs have been given the option to retrain, enabling them to be able to move into different roles within government.
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