I think the post before Ozzie's introduced the UK as a comparison.

Indeed.
Like a stuck gramophone.

Well the thing is when you have a Government telling it's people that the economy is booming and we are in great shape to weather the storm but we wont talk about manufacturing being at it's worst since the depression, retail tanking and building suffering we must believe those in the know.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-2...losses/2851552

Heard on ABC Perth radio this morning that 20,000 jobs have been lost since January, although hardly surprising.

I think 100,000 is optimistic when you look at how everything but mining is struggling.
As far as the 5.1% does anyone actually believe that figure ?

This is a depressing thread, now my rock years are over, what will i do?

Is it really that bad over there, i left eighteen months ago, things were fine, do i have to return to put things right?

The problem is that nowhere is escaping this global crisis, we are seeing a mining boom but that only accounts for a relatively small % of employment, all the other sectors are suffering.

Not everyone is losing their jobs the job market is changing yet again I believe. BHP is offering jobs to the workers who are being let go at Blue Scope although they will have to move to QLD and WA according to the news. This says that there are obviously opportunities in these States for workers.

The housing boom seems to have ceased, that said people have to live somewhere.

I do believe the high cost of housing is working against the building industry. The gov has to do something about negative gearing to stop investors from buying first home buyer type property which has become way too expensive. Only gave this concession so gov could stop building but its backfired big time.

On an up note things will be fine willing hands always find work.

The real impact of the BSL closure is starting to hit home in the Illawarra. It's already an unemployment black spot and the loss of a 1000+ well paid jobs is likely to have a major impact on the city.

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/n...s/2268015.aspx

Bosses paying themselves millions in bonus payments, the day before announcing mass job, cuts hasn't gone down too well either.

Talking to one of the blokes who lost his job at Westernport and another one who kept his job, it sounds like Bluescope didn't handle the announcements very well.

I think the guys at Port Kembla were pretty resigned to the fact that cuts were coming, but the size of them was a shock and then to hear, that the same managers who had been telling them that cuts were inevitable, had just received a sizable bonus, changed the mood to one of anger, very quickly.

Of course not everyone is losing their jobs and to be offered a job in a different State isn't the solution if your life is where you currently are. I wouldn't move to the other side of the country for a job and I dare say quite a few others wouldn't.
I do agree though, willing hands always find work.

haha sorry keith i hardly check msgs and now it says i cant msg you - benowa is lovely, and it has my fave resort - royal pines, aboslute legend for weekend breaks, book yerself in! --- well i hope all works out for you coming back - next time i'm swanning at the resort i'll msg you, come share a beer!