Qbn's unemployment rate bucks national trend

Figures released by the Federal Government's Department of Employment show that of the Queanbeyan Local Government Area's workforce of 24,841 only 452 were unemployed, down from 730 in the June quarter of 2014.

"These are very pleasing figures and bode well for the Queanbeyan Local Government Area," Mayor Tim Overall said.

"Our unemployment rate of 1.8 pc is very impressive when compared to the national unemployment rate on 6.1pc."

Cr Overall pointed out while a high percentage of Queanbeyan's labour force is employed in the ACT, the town is also an employment hub with people travelling from Canberra and nearby areas to work in Queanbeyan.

The statistics show the unemployment rate dropped in all Queanbeyan suburbs, including Karabar (from 4.4 pc to 2.6 pc from June 2014), Queanbeyan (from 4.4 pc to 2.8 pc), Queanbeyan East (from 3.3 pc to 1.9 pc), Queanbeyan West and Jerrabomberra (from 1.3 pc to 0.9 pc).

Queanbeyan compares well against most areas, with the NSW unemployment rate 5.9 pc, the ACT 4.5 pc and similar-sized regional centres such as Albury (12.6 pc), Bathurst (6.3 pc), Tamworth (7.9 pc) and Goulburn-Mulwaree (4.5 pc).

The positive unemployment figures come on the back of a recent Queanbeyan City Council report on commercial and retail floor space vacancy in the CBD. The report, which was undertaken in the first half of 2015, showed a vacancy rate of 6.33pc in the Queanbeyan CBD.

While residents often lament the number of empty shop fronts in the CBD, Cr Overall said the vacancy rate was a positive thing.

"[It] shows that there is good coverage across our CBD," he said.

"From time to time businesses will move on for a variety of reasons, however these figures show that the floor space does not generally remain vacant for extended periods of time."