Jobs Bounce Back In The Hunter After COVID Crash

 BY IAN CROUCH

 The latest jobs figures for the Hunter show a continuing improvement in the unemployment rate since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The jobless rate in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie fell by 1.4per cent in December to 7 per cent, down from a peak of 11 per cent in June with around 20,000 jobs recovered since then.

Across the Hunter, the rate fell from 6.5 per cent in November to 5.9 per cent.

The best news is in the youth unemployment rate, which has fallen significantly from 16.1 per cent to 6.3.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO, Bob Hawes says the figures suggest many of the jobs lost up until June last year have largely been recovered, but some sectors of the region's economy are still feeling the pinch.

"While the labour force figures point to a sharp recovery, the economy remains fragile, with certain sectors still disproportionately affected, including entertainment, travel and businesses that rely on international patronage," he said.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes

Hunter Businesses to Benefit From Speed Boosts to Local Broadband

BY DAKOTA TAIT

The Hunter is set to benefit from plans for five new Business Fibre Zones, which will bring local Internet speeds up to date with the best in the country.

The plan allows businesses to tap into high capacity broadband at affordable prices, similar to those offered in major metropolitan centres.

Almost 50,000 businesses will have the chance to see a speed boost in areas such as Maitland, Williamtown, and the CBD.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes says the upgrades would help Newcastle stay on top of its connectivity issues amidst record migration from Sydney to regional areas.

"They've identified areas in the region where there's a high concentration of business and industry that are using Internet and relying on broadband," Mr Hawes said.

"The arrangements that will apply within these zones we understand will allow businesses to apply and secure connections starting at 100mB upload and download speeds through to almost 1gB, at prices that are going to be comparable with those offered in the Sydney area." 

Minister for Regional Communications, Regional Health and Local Government, Mark Coulton, says the changes set out by the National Broadband Network Company garnered a lot of interest in a Hunter Business Chamber meeting on Thursday morning.

"We're on the verge of one of the biggest migrations out of capital cities that we've ever seen, probably for a long, long time, if not ever," Mr Coulton said.

"The benefits of living in a regional city like Newcastle are where you've got lifestyle benefits, cheaper housing than probably the middle of Sydney, but still being able to operate at the top of your capacity as a business, has certainly got a lot of people thinking about making that move."

Mr Hawes says the project is an exciting opportunity for regional development.

"Businesses have been forced to make decisions to locate where there's a richness of broadband and Internet services, and that at times has put regional and rural areas at a disadvantage," Mr Hawes said.

"If this plan comes to pass, and rolls out the way they're intending it to, that will take away or evaporate a lot of that disadvantage that we've experienced over the years."

Unemployment Up Again In The Hunter

 BY IAN CROUCH

  Unemployment is on the rise again in the Hunter after encouraging signs in July and August.

The jobless rate for Newcastle and Lake Macquarie rose from 7 per cent in August to 9 per cent last month, while the Hunter Valley rate soared from 4.7 per cent in August to 8.1 per cent in September.

The number of people in work fell by 3,000 in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, and 7,000 in the Valley.

The Hunter Business Chamber says more people re-entering the job market and apprehension among employers over cuts to the JobKeeper subsidy are likely factors in the increase.

Chamber CEO, Bob Hawes is calling on the state government to provide payroll tax relief to the region's employers who are hiring staff.

 

 

 

 

Hunter Business Chamber Welcomes Narrabri Gas Project

BY DAKOTA TAIT

The Hunter Business Chamber has welcomed yesterday's decision by the Independent Planning Commission to approve Santos' Narrabri Gas Project.

CEO Bob Hawes says local industry needed reliable and affordable energy supplied from gas and thermal sources until the renewable energy supply could meet the demand.

"We've got a situation here in the Hunter where the industry have high power usage," Mr Hawes said. "They rely on a source of power that's dispatchable and available 24/7, and we're not quite there with renewables yet." 

A Business NSW report from last December suggested an impending energy shortage as well as a tripling in the price of gas has punished many businesses for a wider failure to make use of the state's rich gas supply.

Mr Hawes says work on the project should begin immediately to ensure the state does not encounter a predicted shortfall in five years time.

“Gas is a complementary energy source to renewables," Mr Hawes said. "Securing our gas supply will help support reliable and affordable power as the energy market continues to evolve and develop emerging technologies like hydrogen."

Mr Hawes rejected claims made by NSW Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean that gas lacked long-term viability and that the Narrabri project was a "gamble".

"We haven't built the bridge properly yet," Mr Hawes said. "When we consider the amount of coal-fired power that is going to be turned off over the next twenty years, over 7000 megawatts of that is going to be in the Hunter, and we're not seeing replacement projects that can supply the same sort of power."

“The Hunter region is ideally placed to continue as a energy hub and powerhouse and building the bridge from where we are now to a secure energy future dominated by renewables will be enormously assisted by firming abundant, affordable and accessible gas supplies."

Image credit: reneweconomy.com.au

Unemployment Worsens In Hunter As COVID-19 Takes Its Toll

BY IAN CROUCH

The latest unemployment rates for Newcastle and the Hunter paint a dim picture for the region as the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on jobs.

The latest Bureau of Statistics figures show more than 40,000 jobs have been lost in the Hunter since the start of the pandemic in February, and the figure is expected to keep climbing as JobKeeper payments fall.

The jobless rate for June rose by 1 per cent in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie on the previous month to 11.1per cent, while in the Hunter Valley, the rate rose from 5.9 to 7.4 per cent.

The youth unemployment figure is even more disturbing, with 24.8 per cent of young people out of work in Newcastle.

The ABS jobs survey estimates 21,500 Newcastle people were unemployed in June, a record since regional figures were first collected in 1998.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO, Bob Hawes says the latest figures come as a shock.

"We had hoped that we had reached the bottom of the trough last month, so it is worrying to see unemployment continuing to worsen," he said.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes

Hunter Business Chamber Calls on Government to Offer More Support for Apprenticeships

BY DAKOTA TAIT

The Hunter Business Chamber and Business NSW are calling on the Government to offer immediate support to employers struggling to provide apprenticeships and work opportunities for young people across the Hunter Region and New South Wales.

A recent report produced by Business NSW suggests the national apprenticeship intake for 2020 will fall to 151,000 from 97,000 last year, a decline of more than 30 per cent.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes says 54,000 individuals are likely to miss out on crucial opportunities to upskill, reskill, or find a job, while thousands of businesses will also lose out on the chance for valuable employees.

"If this continues, not only are we working off a low base to restore apprenticeship and traineeship numbers, but we'll be looking at a significant skills gap in four to five years time," Mr Hawes said.

The Skilling Australia for a better future report recommends an industry-supported pre-apprenticeship program and subsidies for Group Training Organisations will be necessary to help the sector recover from such a decline.

"There needs to be consistency and significant improvement in the funding so that businesses don't baulk at taking on apprentices and trainees when they have that opportunity," Mr Hawes said.

"We know that's happening, and it shouldn't happen, given the tremendous advantages of having trainees and apprentices come through our school system in the trades in which they traditionally operate."

Despite the recent shock faced by the entire economy, Mr Hawes says the decline speaks to wider issues which existed before COVID-19 and have only been exacerbated by the pandemic.

"It's not just about the wishes of the guys and the girls that want to go into those sorts of opportunities," Mr Hawes said. "It's about businesses being able to provide them with opportunities and the education system being able to point them in that direction."

Lockout and Other Liquor Laws Under Review in Newcastle

BY ISABEL EVERETT

Lifting lockout laws and other strict restrictions imposed on venues across Newcastle was the topic of discussion at a meeting between politicians and stake holders held in Newcastle on Wednesday. 

Newcastle MP, Tim Crackanthorp met with the Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello and Member of the Joint Select Commitee on Sydney's Night Time Economy, MLC Mark Latham to discuss Newcastle’s night time economy and post Covid-19 recovery.

Newcastle MP, Tim Crackanthrop said today was about consultation with local stake holders.

"Today is about seeing what the government can do to ease restrictions particularly post Covid when we have high unemployment."

"It's not just about the lock out laws, but laws that affect small bars as well. I mean you can't get a cocktail in Newcastle after 10pm, its ludicrous. So we need to change the rules around cocktails, we need to let small bars open up later."

"The Upper House inquiry into the night time economy and lock out laws decided to review them after 12 months, that will come up in January after Sydney's have come off. The Minister is here to see what he can do in the interim before that review in undertaken."

Owner of ‘Koutetsu’ a small bar operating on Hunter Street, Christopher Wilson, said extended hours would greatly benefit his business. 

"We have to close our bar at midnight, where as you'll find at most other areas in the State it's 2am."

"There weren't any small bars in Newcastle at the time the lockout laws were introduced, so the laws weren't in place for small bars. Newcastle has evolved, with the smaller venues now opening up more and more I think the laws definitely need to be adjusted."

Mr Crackanthorp agreed the laws need to be adjusted, as the City changes.

"These rules were introduced 12 years ago, we've had $1 billion worth of government investment and $2 billion worth of public investment, we've got a vastly different city and the rules and regulations have not changed since them."

"We had a lot of derelict shops before 'Renew Newcastle' came in, and the city was quite violent, things are very different now and the laws need to change as the city changes."

"You don't want to punish all venues for the action of some, we do need to take a staged a approach and take consultation and talk to the community."

Mr Crackanthorp said a review is needed to ensure Newcastle is recognized as a global city. 

"I mean we want to be a global city, we're the second largest city in the state and the sixth largest in Australia, we really do need to be able to get people to our city and show them a great night."

"Today's about consulting and seeing what the community thinks."

Mr Wilson says relaxed restrictions would allow him to give more hours to his staff, after having to stand down four workers during the pandemic. 

"If we could trade just a couple more hours a night, that would be massive to give my staff back their hours and gives businesses a fighting change during these hard times," Mr Wilson said.

"Clearly they've got to go through their processes but I do feel positive about us being able to trade until 2am."

Koutetsu Bar

Jobless Rate Spikes As The Impact Of COVID-19 Hits The Hunter

BY IAN CROUCH

The latest jobs figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics paint a grim picture of the labour market in the Hunter as the impact of COVID-19 hits home.

Almost 10,000 jobs have been lost in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie in the past month, taking to the unemployment rate from 5.8 to 7.7 per cent.

A further 8,400 jobs have been lost during April in the Hunter Valley, where the jobless rate has risen from 5.0 to 5.3 per cent in the past month.

The retail, food, hospitality, tourism and arts sectors have been especially hit hard with forced shutdowns due to COVID-19 health restrictions

Hunter Business Chamber CEO, Bob Hawes says the true unemployment rate may be much higher than reported on the latest ABS figures.

"As analysts pointed out last week, the April figures do not account for the impact of JobKeeper and the face that many people who are receiving the wage subsidy are out of work but not actively seeking a job, so have not registered as unemployed'" he said.

"Of major concern is the rise in youth unemployment, which now sits at 18.7 per cent in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and 15.7 per cent in the Hunter Valley."

"The loss of jobs in the younger age groups confirms the impact of restrictions on accommodation and food services, arts and recreation, traditionally sectors that employ young people," Mr Hawes said.

The latest unemployment figures come as Swansea MP and state opposition deputy leader, Yasmin Catley calls on the Berejiklian government to allow beauty salons to reopen across the Hunter and NSW.

She says NSW should follow the lead of Queensland and the Northern Territory which have allowed the beauty industry to resume with a limit of 10 customers at a time in their salons.

Yasmin Catley says it's unfair for beauty salons, which employ a large proportion of female workers, to remain closed while hairdressing salons are allowed to keep operating.

"It has certainly caused some confusion not allowing the beauty sector to go back to work, even though hairdressers have continued working during the pandemic with no known clusters of transmission, so it's time. Women want this, we want the beauty sector open. We want the economic benefit from it," she said.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes

Swansea MP and NSW Deputy Opposition Leader Yasmin Catley

Coronavirus Impacts Hunter's Jobless Rate

BY IAN CROUCH

New figures out today paint a grim picture of the jobs market in the Hunter.

The region's unemployment rate has more than doubled since mid February.

Business NSW data shows 19,000 jobs have been lost in the region between February 15 and April 4.

The jobless rate in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie now sits at 9.7 percent, while the rate in the Valley has risen from 4.5 in January to 10.1 percent.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO, Bob Hawes says while the accommodation, food services and arts sectors have been hit hard, other sectors appear to be coping well with the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Areas like education, health, retail - some of the bigger employers around the region haven't suffered as much and hopefully we can leverage those industries as we start the recovery process, knowing that we've got some industries that are going to hopefully get back to normal in a reasonably quick time period when that happens," he said.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO, Bob Hawes

Community Urged to Show Their Support for Local Newspapers

BY DAKOTA TAIT

The Hunter Business Chamber is urging the community to consider taking out a subscription to show their support for struggling local newspapers amidst the COVID-19 crisis.

These calls come as Australian Community Media announces plans to shutter many of its regional publications until the end of June, including the Cessnock Advertiser, Hunter Valley News, and the Newcastle Star.

While dailies such as the Newcastle Herald and the Canberra Times will continue operating, a decline in traditional revenue raising methods such as business advertising has put heavy pressure on the industry.

Chamber CEO Bob Hawes says businesses and members of the community should now return the favour and lend a helping hand to local newspapers.

“Newspapers are the lifeblood of our local communities and do much to support business through editorial coverage, advertising opportunities and partnerships."

"They are a vital source of information, even though to many the digital format is a modern trend," said Mr Hawes. "But newspapers certainly fill a role both for businesses that wish to advertise and for communities that wish to get information."

Mr Hawes says it has been a "tough decision" for publications to make, but hopes the community will come together to help protect a valuable good.

“Trusted journalism has never been more important than it is now, in a time of global crisis, and we need local papers to be highlighting the needs, priorities and good news in their communities by telling local stories.”

Image credit: Hunter Business Chamber

Hunter Business Confidence Crashes to Worst Levels Since Global Financial Crisis

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Local businesses say economic conditions have deteriorated rapidly as movement restrictions and social gathering measures tighten their grip on the Hunter Region.

The latest edition of the Business NSW Business Conditions Survey has shown the Hunter economy was one of the hardest hit in the state, following months of bush fires, drought, and now, COVID-19.

More than 200 of the 2,000 responses in the survey were collected from the Hunter, with 70 percent of businesses state-wide claiming they would have to cease trading or scale down if lockdown measures were sustained.

Bob Hawes, CEO of the Hunter Business Chamber, says the rapid erosion of business confidence has been dramatic and will likely have lasting consequences.

“The impact of COVID-19 on confidence is most apparent in business expectations for the next quarter, with confidence falling to levels not seen since the Global Financial Crisis.”

Although businesses in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie were somewhat less affected than those in the Hunter Valley, the impact upon business confidence was still "catastrophic".

While businesses will be able to access federal JobKeeper subsidies from May, nearly 90 percent of businesses still expect the June quarter to be weaker than that of March.

"We're certainly thankful that the government are putting stimulus packages on the table that employees and employers can access," said Mr Hawes. "We're really hopeful that these are going to be able to sustain the level of activity that we need to make sure that when recovery does come, we can take the best advantage of it."

In the meantime, businesses were reported to be moving away from traditional growth objectives such as growing revenue and expanding capacity in favour of downsizing and maintaining solvency.

“All of these trends are consistent with what has been observed through our daily engagement with businesses over the past weeks and why it is so important that every tier of government does all that is possible to keep businesses in operation and staff employed,” Mr Hawes said.

“It is also clear that further restrictions on movement and social gathering would be highly detrimental to business, so it is important that the community observes the current rules and regulations, especially over the coming holiday period, so we don’t see more limitations imposed.”

Image credit: Hunter Business Chamber

Hunter Business Chamber Welcomes Latest Stimulus Package

By El Fitchett

The Hunter Business Chamber is welcoming the latest stimulus package from the State Government, as the Coronavirus begins to take it's toll on businesses across the region.

Along with a boost to health infrastructure, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced new measures aimed at keeping people employed in the hopes of softening the blow to the economy amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The centerpiece of the stimulus package is a three-month waiver on payroll tax for businesses with payrolls of up to $10 million, as well as fast tracking $500 million in infrastructure spending.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes says bringing forward $500 million in infrastructure spending will bolster the economy and bring certainty to construction-related industries in the Hunter. creating job opportunities - especially for young workers - and providing much-needed new assets for community use," says Bob Hawes.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes says deferring payroll taxes will be of immediate benefit to small and medium sized enterprises, with the move freeing up revenue.

Hunter Business Chamber CEO Bob Hawes Picture: hunterheadline.com.au

Hunter Business Chamber Outlines Budget Hopes

BY CATHERINE ALLEN

The eagerly awaited upcoming federal budget is due to be released tonight at 7pm, potentially making waves for the local region.

The latest budget is expected to include increases to infrastructure spending as well as tax cuts for big business in what is touted to be a "family friendly" budget.

The Hunter Business Chamber is pushing for regulatory changes benefiting small-to-medium sized businesses hoping to build on current export markets and create extra incentive payments for apprentice and trainee positions.

CEO Bob Hawes said that while aid for families is important; if people don't have a job the rest falls apart.

"There's a lot of things that the federal government can look at that impact all business and we've already put a few ideas forward and backed up the NSW business chamber on ideas around extending export grants, subsidies that they've had in place in recent years," he said.

"In relation to the Hunter, obviously we like to keep track of what's happening in Defence, that has an enormous impact in relation to what's happening at Williamstown and to a lesser extent Singleton, but also Health and Education."

Image: SBS