Jobs data out today is some respite for Tasmania in the midst of hard economic times, but there's a long road ahead for economic and social recovery from COVID-19.
Shadow Treasurer David O'Byrne said Tasmania's economy was not in good shape prior to COVID, which makes the impact of the pandemic more significant.
"Today's data shows a welcome start to recovery, with the number of people employed up by 7,000 for the month. It's particularly heartening to see that two-thirds of those people are women, who were disproportionately disadvantaged by COVID.
"But the data also shows underemployment is up and wages are still the lowest in the country. These challenges were with us before COVID and are not being addressed as part of recovery.
"The government needs to do everything it can to protect Tasmanian jobs, and provide secure employment opportunities. This must be at the heart of its approach to COVID recovery.
"Labor's COVID-19 Recovery Package contains numerous measures to create jobs in key industries, including free TAFE courses to upskill workers who've lost their jobs due to COVID.
"We need to take the right measures now to ensure our recovery leads to better social and economic outcomes for everyone."
David O'Byrne
Shadow Treasurer
