IvanM

Is it the loss of tourists?

We have a site there. The only customer part not struggling is mining. The high AUD may stuff that for them though.

Bix

Yes, but tourism is only half the story.

Construction bucked the country trend for a few months but eventually the GFC caught up with it. Hedley, CMC, Glenwood and CEC have all gone to the wall. Two of them this year after months of struggling to survive.
Not unusual for some casualties in hard times but these were the 4 biggest companies in Cairns. There are now no large construction / building companies left here.

Turban Explorer

I think that 10.8% is highly euphemistic. Doesn't it represent the number of welfare applicants declaring themselves as job seeking? I understand you are not allowed to claim if your partner earns $500 a week +

Cairns is terrible for work and even the brief jobs we've had have been shoddy or impossible (him indoors had sales targets just utterly unachievable in a depressed town) - we're trapped until the marina fees end in September and both trying to find jobs away and then return at weekends and then move somewhere else. Sadly my only non-profit experience was abusive and bullying which has turned me off a bit - although it was again, probably a feature of an economy on its arse as people were unable to walk out and find positions elsewhere so it continued.

Turban Explorer

Just 100 or so 'for lease' buildings - even in prime location areas. Shame it's the nicest part of FNQ.

Turban Explorer

46 is no age. Al Zawahiri has just been promoted to the Head of Al Qaeda and he is 59.

IvanM

We had a big downturn once the stimulus money went. Our site there would have done a lot of work for those companies you listed.

SillyOldBag

Was the position advertised? Did equal opportunities apply? Did it have the potential for FIFO? I don't think I sent my resume off for that one. Oh dammit, another opportunity missed.

Deancm_MKII

The problem with crap jobs is being over qualified. Why would an employer hire a person who is over qualified only to leave in 6 months when they can hire someone non-qualified who will stay for x-amount of years?

LinkedIn is better for some positions and crap for others. Sales/marketing and IT related roles LinkedIn tends to be good for. Others not so.

IvanM

Does Afghanistan have a regional visa program?

Bix

Yes, I think it does represent all those signed on with Centrelink so the true unemployment figure will be higher.

I am not in the official figures and I'm pretty sure there will be a lot like me.

Bix

That's my experience and dumbing down the CV has made no difference.

I've not found LinkedIn to be of any use so far either.

SillyOldBag

*raises hand* - I'm not an official statistic either.

We have a friend staying with us who had a really top job up here but was made redundant from that, and then found another job and was made redundant shortly afterwards. I'm sure they knew when they employed him that it was a short term thing, but that is a whole different story! Anyway, he is on benefits now, but I am absolutely staggered at the rigmarole he has to go through, he gets on average 5 letters a week from Centrelink. Yesterday alone, he received 6 letters in one hit! They must be a hugely inefficient organisation and are single-handedly trying to use a rainforest or threes worth of trees.

I don't like to ask our friend what the letters are about, but I have a suspicion that they go along the lines of

1. "Dear Sir, We will be writing to you shortly about your claim for benefits"
2. "Dear Sir, Further to our letter from earlier today, regrettably we will be unable to write to you further about your claim for benefits until later in the day"
3. "Dear Sir, Due to an unforeseen improvement in our schedules due to Sheila returning early from lunch, we anticipate being able to respond to your claim for benefits later this afternoon"
4. "Dear Sir, We are disappointed to have to write to advise you that whilst Sheila did come back from lunch early, Bruce took an elongated afternoon break and thus we are unlikely to be able to write to you concerning your claim til tomorrow."
5. "Dear Sir, We have now spoken to Bruce who will be working late tonight to respond to your claim"
6. "Oi you! I had to work late because of you. You want to claim? Get F***ed! Sincerely yours, Bruce"
7. "Dear Sir, There is now a vacancy within our Department......"

Well, it's a thought!

Swerv-o

Government and Authority employment is staggeringly high here. I think it's a way of job creation myself, which is why you rarely see any improvements in efficiency in these organisations - because you would end up with more people out of work.


S

Deancm_MKII

Exactly the same deep shit that Nu Labour put the UK in.

Turban Explorer

I love a bit of good old Aussie Milo Minderbender economics...