Youth unemployment crisis grips Wide Bay as jobless rate spikes by more than anywhere in Qld
New data has painted a grim picture of the employment environment for young people in the Wide Bay, sparking calls for more investment in the region. Vote in our poll:
Youth unemployment has risen in the Wide Bay more than any other Queensland region, raising concerns of neglect under the LNP-held safe seat.
The statistics are shocking: from June 2024 to June 2025, the rate of youth unemployment shot from 7.4 to 12.4 per cent, ABS data showed — a stark contrast to the 0.5 percentage point decrease statewide.
No other SA4 regions showed a marked increase besides Townsville and Moreton Bay South, with unemployment of young Queenslanders in fact plummeting in Moreton Bay North, Brisbane North and Toowoomba.
Federal Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien said while the Wide Bay federal division was significantly smaller than the Wide Bay SA4 statistical region, which encompasses other electorates, “more analysis” was needed to pinpoint the dramatic rise.
“While (the SA4) is a good guide, it doesn’t really tell the story of the Wide Bay itself,” Mr O’Brien said.
The MP said the idea that Nationals dominance had led to stagnation in the Wide Bay was a “political tactic”.
Wide Bay unemployment is more broadly “a regional story”, he said, where “most high-paying jobs are in the city”.
Mr O’Brien pointed to projects such as the Rheinmetall Nioa Muniations projectile forging plant and bypass upgrades as examples of Wide Bay economic investment under the LNP.
Part of the issue, however, is the region relies heavily on construction for youth employment, while the national engineering sector has recently contracted almost six per cent, compounded locally by project delays.
On top of that, and as Mr O’Brien pointed out, record-high insolvency rates have plagued the entire country.
The Wide Bay MP pointed to economic injections into local industries such as the munitions plant construction and a Nolans Meatworks expansion in 2021, which were effective in creating jobs.
While the post-Covid return to normal employment levels was primarily responsible, these efforts were auxiliary in driving Wide Bay youth unemployment down from 16.5 per cent in 2021 to 7.4 per cent in June 2024.
Data shows the average youth unemployment rate in regional Queensland was slightly higher in June 2024 at 7.9 per cent.
Given no major youth employer has recently collapsed in the Wide Bay, the severe spike in youth unemployment since then has likely resulted from limited tertiary options to obtain more resilient employment, and a reliance on industries that have recently slowed.
While the region has strong vocational and essential service university options, there are markedly fewer high-end professional jobs — which are more resistant to economic contractions — compared to nearby areas such as the Sunshine Coast.
For comparison, the Sunshine Coast youth unemployment dropped to 6.8 per cent in June 2025 from 7.4 per cent the previous financial year.
Hospitality, retail trade and construction are the top three sectors for youth employment in the Wide Bay, all of which are highly susceptible to economic change, and have performed increasingly poorly since June 2024, according to ABS and state government data.
Mr O’Brien encouraged the government to “deliver targeted investments to boost Wide Bay’s industries to create new opportunities”.
Ongoing projects tackling youth unemployment such as the Skilling Queenslanders for Work and Regional Reset Program have received recent funding boosts, but their effectiveness over the next financial year remains to be seen.
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