Queensland was the only state to see an increase in its trend unemployment rate in June, as the government continues to struggle to turn around the state's jobless issue.
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The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force data showed nearly 5000 Queenslanders lost their full-time job in June, with the trend rate – the data set preferred by Treasurer Curtis Pitt and economists – increasing from 6.4 per cent to 6.5 per cent.
The seasonally adjusted data also increased by 0.1 per cent to hit 6.5 per cent.
That leaves Queensland sitting behind South Australia on the unemployment ladder, with its jobless rate equal to that of Tasmania. The trend national rate has remained steady at 5.7 per cent, while the national seasonally adjusted average increased from 5.7 per cent to 5.8 per cent during June.
Queensland's job rate has been on a downward trajectory since 2013, when the move from construction to production in the liquid gas industry combined with a downturn in commodity prices and a slowdown in the mining sector, from which it has yet to recover.
Having learnt from the Newman government's failure to deliver on its promise to lower the then 5.5 per cent unemployment rate to 4 per cent over six years, the Palaszczuk government did not set itself a target, only promising to be "jobs jobs jobs" focused.
Its latest budget was dedicated to addressing unemployment in the state's rural and regional areas, where it has hit double digits.
Mr Pitt said the government's plan remained as is, and pointed to the prolonged federal election as contributing to the latest result.
"The lengthy federal election campaign has certainly created a period of uncertainty for businesses," he said in a statement.
"Both state and federal governments have roles to play in creating jobs and helping people enter the workforce.
"Our $100 million 'Back to Work' program aims to do exactly that in regional Queensland – providing incentives for regional businesses to employ new staff which we expect should get around 8000 back to work.
"Hopefully the post-election uncertainty over the outcome and the composition of the Senate will not be grounds to prolong that uncertainty to the detriment of job creation."
But the opposition jumped on the latest data as proof Mr Pitt's second budget had failed.
"On any measure Treasurer Curtis Pitt has yet again been given a fail, and on his 'preferred' trend measure Queensland has gone backwards for five months in a row," Shadow Treasurer Scott Emerson said in a statement.
"We were the only state in Australia where trend unemployment got worse last month.
"The numbers aren't any better on the seasonally adjusted measure, with 36,200 jobs disappearing in Queensland since January.
"There is no way of spinning these figures, Queensland is falling further and further behind the rest of Australia and people are losing their jobs because this government has no plan."
Mr Pitt and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk have acknowledged their plan would take time to succeed, with cash bonuses for businesses that hired a worker for at least 12 months increasing if that person was long-time unemployed.
The government has also worked to establish an innovation industry in Queensland, while attempting to lure businesses and companies across the border, as well as making new trade connections.
The LNP responded with a jobs plan that offered incentives to employers across the state, not just the regions, as well as further incentives to help final-year apprentices.
