Swan says Australia’s budget will create 500,000 new jobs
Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan said the new budget to be presented next week is seen to create some 500,000 jobs within two years and reduce the country's unemployment rate to 4.5 percent.
The Labor Government is scheduled to announce its new budget on May 10 which includes fresh incentives to encourage companies to create new jobs and employ workers outside their main workforce, including older Australians.
Swan said in a statement, "We need to harness the talents of more Australians. That would ensure they have the training and skills they need, recognizing employment has always been the path to a better life."
In March, the country's unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent from 5 percent, matching a two-year low set in December, as the number of employer workers rose by 37,800. The increased demand for Australia's resources in Asia help boosted the number of jobs in the mining and energy sectors.
However, the boom in the mining sector has not benefited all Australians, which Swan said, saw the emergence of a "patchwork" economy over the past 15 years. The new budget hopes to "spread the benefits of a stronger economy so the opportunities are shared by all Australians," he said.
"We have had to write down revenues for this year already by A$30 billion directly related to the global financial crisis," Swan said in the television interview, reaffirming his aim to return to surplus. "Softness in revenue which now flows from the natural disasters and continuing uncertainty and accumulated losses is A$6.5 billion this year."