ANZ Job Ads - What Gary Humphries Won't Tell You

Wayne Berry - Opposition Spokesperson on Employment

Media Statement - 9 April 2001

The ACT Chief Minister Gary Humphries today claimed that ANZ job ads for the ACT were 'holding firm against the national decline'.

Mr Humphries then quoted 'a marginal increase in the trend number of job advertisements posted during March 2001, against a decline in every state in Australia' and he went on to say 'once again the ACT is defying the trend of the national slowdown'.

"What Chief Minister Humphries did not do was quote the Chief Economist of the ANZ, Mr Saul Eslake," Mr Berry said today, "Mr Eslake pointed out that the number of job advertisements fell in every State and Territory last month.

"The largest fall of 11.5% was recorded in NSW, but second to NSW was the ACT with a fall of 9.4%. The seasonally adjusted figure usually reported for job advertisements paints a different picture, a picture that the Chief Minister doesn't want Canberrans to see.

"Instead of being open about the situation in the ACT in relation to jobs the Chief Minister keeps trying to paint a rosy picture. After all job seekers are only interested in the number of jobs they can apply for and whichever way you look at it this month's figures are 100 down on last month.

"For months I have been calling on the Chief Minister to bring forward a plan to address our falling jobs market in the Act, but all we see is smoke and mirrors.