A flashback image has emerged of Scott Morrison as a chubby-cheeked schoolboy nearly five decades ago as his election campaign gathers pace ahead of the federal election.
The prime minister shared a photo of himself, taken in 1974, on social media on Thursday as he announced the country’s unemployment rate had fallen.
“The last time Australia’s unemployment rate was as low as 3.9% (in 1974), this is how I looked,” he wrote.
Many Australians were delighted by the photo, which showed him as a five-year-old student at Clovelly Public School in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
“Very nice, Mr. Prime Minister,” one person wrote.
Scott Morrison has shared a photo of himself as a schoolboy (pictured) as he announces that the unemployment rate is now 3.9%.
Another added: “I love shaking those chubby cheeks.”
“Good for you and your team,” said a third.
However, others were less impressed with the Prime Minister’s economic news, stating the figures did not accurately reflect how many Australians are in substantial employment.
‘The last time it was this low, you probably didn’t define employment as working one hour a week. “This number doesn’t make sense,” one man said.
“It’s really hard to believe,” said another.
‘In 1974 we used to leave one job and start another. 40 hours a week. They now consider a few hours a week a full-time job.’
Others pointed out that Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was in charge at the time, which they said showed the ALP could be good economic managers, contrary to the LNP’s main campaign claim.
Some took the opportunity to mock Morrison’s accidentally tackling a schoolboy during a football match in Devonport, Tasmania, on Wednesday.
“You look old enough to be crushed by an exuberant Prime Minister,” one person chimed in.
The image, shared on the prime minister’s Instagram and Facebook profiles, provoked mixed reactions.
Many said the way the statistics were obtained did not reflect the differentiation between workloads.
Others pointed out that the economy was led by Labor’s Gough Whitlam in 1974.
“Looks like you were prepared to take on anything that comes your way,” another joked.
“About the age of the young man you accosted yesterday,” said a third.
The Morrison government’s campaign took a shot in the arm on Thursday when the unemployment rate fell below four per cent for the first time in almost 48 years.
However, this came after Wednesday’s dismal set of pay figures which showed voters’ pay was growing at less than half the rate of inflation, which the Labor Party claims is the biggest real pay cut in 20 years.
Thursday’s April labor force report showed the unemployment rate was 3.9 percent in April, unchanged from a downwardly revised result for March.
“What this tells us is that our economic plan is working because Australians are working,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Sydney.
However, business groups are not too enthusiastic about the serious staff shortage.
Some people joked that Morrison looked as young as a child he accidentally accosted on Wednesday. Both Mr Morrison and the boy were uninjured and high-fived after the accidental collision (pictured).
“The fall in unemployment figures has coincided with the most serious labor shortage in 48 years, with job vacancy rates at their highest since records began,” the Chamber of Commerce chief executive told AAP and Industry Australia, Andrew McKellar.
“The next federal government must do everything it can to address the chronic skills shortage.”
There has been a steady decline in the unemployment rate since it reached 7.4 per cent during the Covid-19 recession, largely due to a lack of skilled migration while international borders remained closed.
Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra says there are more than 29,000 vacancies in the retail sector alone.
“Without the usual number of foreign workers and students, these gaps will not be filled by traditional recruitment methods,” he said.
The 3.9 percent rate remains the lowest level of unemployment since August 1974, when the survey was conducted quarterly.
The Morrison government’s campaign took a shot in the arm on Thursday when the unemployment rate fell below four per cent for the first time in almost 48 years.
But only 4,000 people joined the labor force in April, far below the 30,000 increase economists had expected.
Full-time employment increased by 92,400 in April, but was largely offset by a drop of 88,400 in part-time workers.
KPMG senior economist Sarah Hunter said the economy is now running effectively without “extra capacity”.
“Despite job advertisements remaining at record levels and an above-average proportion of companies looking to attract people, employment increased by only 4,000 people during the month,” Dr Hunter said.
“Given the continued strength of demand and the limited additional domestic supply of workers, wage growth is likely to accelerate from now on.”
The low unemployment rate will fuel expectations of a further cash rate increase when the Reserve Bank of Australia board meets in June.
However, Wednesday’s weak pay figures suggest the RBA will not raise the cash rate by more than 25 basis points, matching its first increase in a decade earlier this month as it battles rising inflation.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited Island Block and Paving in Launceston on Thursday (pictured), day 39 of the 2022 federal election campaign.
Minutes from the May RBA board meeting published on Tuesday showed there was some discussion about raising the cash rate by 40 basis points more than usual.
But with wages growing only at an annual rate of 2.4 percent, compared with the inflation rate of 5.1 percent, economists see little urgency for a big increase at this stage.
Aside from staffing issues, retail companies themselves are feeling the impact of rising inflationary pressures.
“We are also seeing many households starting to tighten their budgets in the face of rising interest rates,” Mr Zahra said.
Still, retailers enjoyed a strong sales period during April, boosted by the Easter holidays and the further easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment, retail sales rose 9.9 percent in April compared to a year ago, led by a 20.3 percent increase in sales of electronic products.