One hundred new, temporary, casual jobs will be created within the ACT Public Service across a plethora of roles, following another expansion of the Jobs for Canberrans Fund.
Tuesday’s (9 June) $8 million announcement will expand the ‘Jobs for Canberrans’ to $28 million, creating in total almost 500 new jobs.
The new jobs will be across maintenance, involving restoration work in nature parks, reserves, and city service assets, plus office work in call centres, information, administration, and assistance.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the ACT Government is the most occupationally diverse employer of any Australian government, given they are responsible for the functions of both state government and local council.
“We have a very wide range of occupations and skill needs within our employment, so extending this program together with our ongoing recruitment campaigns … provides a timely boost to employment in the ACT,” he said.
“What this does is add to aggregate demand in our economy, so more people in our economy, more money to spend, the multiplier effect here is more jobs in the ACT economy.”
He said the ACT Government has received “thousands” of applications since the fund was established in late April.
Once the fund’s temporary contracts are complete, Mr Barr hopes many workers employed through the fund can continue working in the ACT public service.
“What will be the case with the staff that we’ve taken on through these programs is that many of them will progress through ACT Government employment ranks and opportunities … If that’s their career progression and desire.”
Mr Barr said the fund will continue to create jobs, noting an “ongoing need for the government to both be an employer and to expand its employment opportunities,” as well as partnering with the private sector in a range of economic development and infrastructure initiatives.
So far, the jobs created involve a wide range of duties including cleaning schools, maintaining public places and restoring bushfire damaged regions.
Access Canberra also welcomed 17 new team members who will be put to work answering calls in the Contact Centre.
Shadow Minister for Business and Employment Andrew Wall said the government should be doing more to create new jobs in the private sector too.
“While adding jobs to the ACT public service is welcome news to many, it’s cold comfort for almost 10,000 Canberrans who are out of work and the local and family businesses that employed them.
“If small and family businesses suffer, jobs suffer. That’s why we’re pushing for more support to back Canberra’s local employers,” Mr Wall said.
New roles under the Fund will be finalised over coming weeks and made available online via the Casual Jobs Register.
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