Kids told to look for jobs in trades

AN EMPLOYMENT gap is developing between in-demand trades and other jobs that has the State Government urging young people into occupations once considered dirty, hard and dangerous.

Treasurer Andrew Fraser said Queenslanders could expect more job losses in the first part of this year before demand for skilled labour dominated the agenda by year's end.

He said the Government expected unemployment to be lower than previously forecast in the next financial year as disaster reconstruction activity clashed with gas and mining development.

''So, economically, the forecast is as wild as the weather has been,'' Mr Fraser said yesterday.

''If you are planning a renovation at the end of this year, you are mad. Get your kids to be a plasterer or a sparkie and you can retire early.''

The demand will be well received in Queensland where unemployment is higher than the rest of Australia and expected to jump in the February figures due next week.

More than 52,000 Australians have come off unemployment benefits in the past year but Federal Government data showed only 7000 were from Queensland.

And although the Government appears certain to meet its pledge to have an extra 100,000 jobs by next year it still faces a rising jobless level.

About 140,000 Queenslanders are officially unemployed, up 5000 from this time last year.

Some of regional Queensland is already showing massive improvements in unemployment, particularly Gladstone, Mackay and Toowoomba.

Some of the unemployment blackspots of Brisbane are also showing a turnaround.

Sarina Russo Job Access executive Kevin Ayre said the drops, particularly in youth unemployment, were probably linked to training opportunities.

''There has been a change recently in the youth allowance by the Government. Everyone has to be in training or study.

That's a real incentive for young people,'' he said.

Apprenticeships were once also seen as physical, dangerous and dirty but now older workers were signing up to learn a trade.

Labour firm Adecco has released a study showing that temporary jobs are likely to grow in Australia as companies seek flexibility.

Manpower managing director Lachlan Crawley said the demand for reconstruction labour was yet to appear, possibly due to the delay in people receiving insurance funds.