Australian Bureau of Statistics data for September showed Queensland posted the best increase in the number of employed people,up 1.2 per cent on the previous month to 2.66 million people.
New South Wales dropped by 0.6 per cent and Victoria was down 3.5 per cent.
Conversely,Queensland’s unemployment rate was 4.9 per cent seasonally adjusted,putting the state second-last only in front of South Australia (5.1 per cent),while NSW was at 4.6 per cent and Victoria 4.8 per cent.
However,Ms Palaszczuk praised the latest figures,pointing out Queensland had posted its lowest unemployment rate since March 2009.
“A strong health response leads to a strong economic response,” she said.
But while NSW and Victoria may be doing better on an overall unemployment figure,months of COVID lockdowns and strict restrictions mean many people in southern states have held on to their jobs while struggling to pick up as many hours as they would like.