In the lead-up to next month’s state election, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has pledge to create 250,000 jobs over four years. From The Canberra Times:
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Monday said the government, if re-elected, would meet this target by focusing on increasing opportunities in western Sydney and regional areas…
She said the plan included opening two new vocational high schools and expanding the youth training program Productivity Bootcamp…
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said a growing skilled workforce was required to build the state’s $90 billion worth of infrastructure projects.
While 250,000 jobs over four years – 62,500 jobs per year – sounds impressive, this must be viewed in light of NSW’s extreme population growth:
Over the past four years, NSW’s population ballooned by 480,000, or by 120,000 people a year. Over the past decade, NSW’s population ballooned by 1,040,000 people, or by around 104,000 people a year.
Therefore, given the strong population growth into NSW, the economy will likely need to produce more than 62,500 jobs per year just to tread water.
