THE NEWS WRAP: Mining continues to lead in job creation stakes: Report

Nearly 140,000 jobs are set to be added to the Australian economy by next year, although demand will be mainly led by the mining industry, according to a new report.

The report, by consultants Economic and Market Development Advisors, predicted that 137,000 jobs will be created in the coming year, more than double the 58,000 added in the year to August 2012.

Western Australia and Queensland will see the strongest growth, with the resources industry again proving to be the main driver of new roles.

Abbott’s poll numbers hit new low

Tony Abbott’s personal approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since he became opposition leader three years ago, a new poll has found.

The latest Newspoll shows that the Coalition leader is doing a good job in the eyes of just 27% of voters. A total of 63% of people are dissatisfied with his performance.

However, Abbott’s unpopularity isn’t affecting his party, it seems, with the Coalition holding 43% of the primary vote, compared to Labor’s 36%.

Global Entrepreneurship Week kicks off

A series of start-up events are set to be held across Australia following the launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week yesterday.

The initiative will see thousands of entrepreneurs attending events in 127 countries. There will be networking meetups in Perth, a business leader forum in Sydney and three Startup Weekend events in three different cities.

Markets

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 21 points, or 0.2%, to 12,794. The Australian dollar dipped to US104.31 cents.