Unemployment heads in right direction

Hard work produces promising local job numbers

The City of Logan has turned around one of the most enduring impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic with the latest unemployment figures showing a promising boost for local residents.

Unemployment in Logan dropped significantly from 5.7 per cent to 4.9 per cent in the June to September 2023 quarter, bringing it much closer to the national average (3.6 per cent) and the state average (3.8 per cent) in the period.

Local unemployment was as high as 6.8 per cent in September 2022.

“COVID hit our local workforce hard because many of our residents are employed in jobs that require hands-on, face-to-face contact,” City of Logan Mayor Darren Power said.

“We have a robust, very willing workforce in Logan, but many of those who lost their jobs, or had their hours reduced, during the pandemic found it very challenging over the last two years to get back to pre-COVID levels.

“We certainly didn’t bounce back as fast as some of our neighbours in South East Queensland, but the latest figures are a very encouraging sign that more Logan residents are finding work and doing their bit to help boost our local economy.”

The latest unemployment numbers from Australian Bureau of Statistics show Logan stood out in a quarter which saw unemployment increase in six neighbouring Local Government Areas.

Council-driven initiatives to support local job seekers include:

• The creation of the Mayor’s Local Jobs and Skills Taskforce, launched in November 2021.
• The annual free Logan Jobs Expo which last year attracted around 750 attendees and 60 exhibitors.
• Creation of the loganjobs.com.au website, which since July last year has assisted the recruitment needs of 43 new and 61 repeat local businesses.
• An ongoing trainee and apprentice program, which last year provided employment for 35 local young people.
• The Catapult Connects program and Bridge to Business expo which connects school students with prospective employer and local businesses.
• Targeted Launch into Health and Multicultural Employment expos.

The Mayor’s taskforce has been a strong driver in decreasing unemployment in the city, with a particular focus on finding long-term solutions for youth unemployment.

In the 2022-23 financial year, the taskforce directly assisted 192 Logan residents to find employment, with 105 of them being young job seekers.

And the strong support is continuing with 158 residents, 31 of them youth, gaining work thanks to the taskforce in the eight months since the start of the current financial year.

“We launched our taskforce with the aim of empowering local job seekers to unleash their potential and take control of their employment journey,” Cr Power said.

“These numbers, and the drop in local employment, are proof that we are heading in the right direction and the future is brighter for those in our community looking for work.”