Friday, 26 May 2017

The Latrobe-Gippsland region has experienced a jobs surge spurred on by the Andrews Labor Government’s record investments.

Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing today welcomed news that in the three months to April 2017, there were almost 6,000 new jobs created in the Latrobe-Gippsland region, while in the year to April, that number was 17,000.

The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is testament to a record pipeline of investments and jobs initiatives in the region, including:

• a new GovHub consolidating around 150 public sector jobs, and creating 100 new construction jobs
• the $435 million Gippsland Regional Rail Revival creating more than 400 jobs including a Latrobe Valley project office
• The landmark Worker Transfer Scheme which is helping retrenched Hazelwood workers transition to other power generators.

The strength of Victoria’s jobs growth continues right across the state, with more than 15,000 regional Victorians finding a new job in the three months to April 2017.

Further cementing Victoria as the job-creating state, the ABS data showed that in the year to April 2017, there were almost 24,800 new jobs in regional Victoria, whereas in the rest of Australia, regional employment increased by only 7,200.

Overall, since the Andrews Labor Government was elected in November 2014, employment in regional Victoria has increased by more than 50,000 persons, with almost 30,000 of those jobs full-time.

In the year to April, Victoria has piled on 115,600 jobs – more than all other states combined – as it reaps the rewards of a healthy and industrious economy spurred on by solid government investment in infrastructure, right across Victoria.

Quotes attributable to Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet Shing:

“Despite job losses and changes in some areas of Gippsland, these results show the momentum that is building across a number of sectors and industries in Gippsland.”

“The strong increase in jobs created in our area reflects the other progress being made as we continue to invest in a prosperous, skilled and diverse economy.”

“We promised we’d stand with the Latrobe-Gippsland region and get it moving again – although there’s always more work to do, these numbers show that we are changing people’s lives in Gippsland for the better.”