Creating jobs and a diverse economy

Our focus

Queensland’s future success and competitive advantage will come from harnessing the intellect and creativity of Queenslanders through jobs, productivity gains, innovation and new industries.

The Queensland Government is focused on creating jobs for Queenslanders by building employment pathways for today as well as for the jobs of the future. Investment in education, skills development and infrastructure will foster workforce capability and help grow the economy.

Queensland has a range of industries and companies that are major players in global markets. We also have a rich mix of entrepreneurs and small businesses ready to power emerging markets. However the rise of Asian economies, the impact of globalisation and disruptive technologies, and the growth of personalised service delivery all signal our need to innovate.

Our government will reinvigorate support for innovation in Queensland. We will help people gain the skills they need to thrive in a knowledge economy, improve collaboration between industry and our research base, and support the commercialisation of bright ideas to bring new wealth and jobs.

If business and industry are to flourish, we need to provide certainty and ensure Queensland is an attractive location to build and grow an enterprise.  This means providing a leading business environment and unlocking public and private investment in infrastructure. National and international investments will encourage entrepreneurialism and enable small-to-medium-sized businesses to grow and prosper.

Queensland’s competitive advantage also lies in our capacity to value-add and access key markets in the Asia Pacific. Our government has adopted a value-supply-chain approach to economic development, with a focus on identifying new and emerging opportunities and developing high-value, niche markets. This approach will help build a more diversified economy that supports a broad range of industries.

We will work towards our vision for economic prosperity by:

• Increasing workforce participation
• Ensuring safe, productive and fair workplaces
• Stimulating economic growth and innovation
• Delivering new infrastructure and investment

Key initiatives

• Delivering the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program
• Establishing Jobs Queensland as an independent statutory authority
• Assisting young people into the workforce by getting them ready for work
• Introducing Advance Queensland to reinvigorate research, innovation and entrepreneurship to create knowledge-based jobs of the future
• Establishing the Business Development Fund
• Delivering the Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow program
• Holding regular forums with the Premier’s Business Advisory Council
• Setting up the Red Tape Reduction Panel
• Implementing a Locals First program
• Establishing Building Queensland
• Releasing the Better Planning for Queensland Directions Paper that outlines the Government’s proposed approach to land use planning and development assessment
• Delivering the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on time and on budget and generating up to 30,000 jobs
• Delivering a State Infrastructure Plan within 12 months of coming to office

Target alignment

The following table highlights how our focus on creating jobs and a diverse economy will contribute to achieving targets outlined in The Queensland Plan.