Asia-Pacific

Queensland floods have cost jobs

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-03-10 15:26

SYDNEY - The Queensland floods caused big job losses in the state and will continue to hurt economy for the next year or so, said Australian Federal Jobs Minister Chris Evans on Thursday.

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Evans said the latest labor force figures released on Thursday confirmed the underlying strength of the Australian economy and pointed to a robust employment outlook.

Evans told reporters in Perth that 5.0 percent was a strong result for Australia "given that we have only just come out of the global financial crisis."

He said it compared positively with the United States, which was still around 9 percent unemployment, and Europe, which was still at 10 percent.

"So five percent unemployment is a great result and is relatively even across Australia though it has to be said that we've taken a hit in the jobs front in Queensland," Evans said.

"The figures aren't disastrous but we have seen a significant loss of jobs in Queensland," he said.

"It is the case that the Queensland floods have had an impact on jobs in that state and will obviously have impacts in the next year or so on the economy that will be quite major."

The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show employment falling by more than 22,000 in Queensland.