Unemployment in Australia

Australia - Unemployment
Unemployment rate at eight-month low in December
Seasonally-adjusted employment soared by 50,000 in November, following 90,000 jobs gain in November. December’s result was again driven by an increase in both part-time and full-time employment.
Meanwhile, the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate fell to 6.6% in December, from November’s 6.8%, beating market expectations of a 6.7% unemployment rate. Moreover, the participation rate rose from 66.1% in November to 66.2% in December. Additionally, the seasonally-adjusted underemployment rate fell from November’s 9.3% to 8.5%.
FocusEconomics panelists project the unemployment rate to average 7.2% in 2021, down 0.1 percentage points from last month’s estimate, and 6.2% in 2022.
Australia - Unemployment Data
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unemployment Rate | 6.1 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.3 | 5.2 |
Australia Unemployment Chart

Source: Australia Bureau of Statistics and FocusEconomics calculations.
Australia Facts
Value | Change | Date | |
---|---|---|---|
Bond Yield | 1.37 | 1.47 % | Dec 31 |
Exchange Rate | 0.70 | 0.05 % | Dec 31 |
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Economic News
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Australia: Consumer sentiment dips in January
January 21, 2021
The Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index dropped to 107.0 in January from 112.0 in December—which had marked the highest reading since October 2010.
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Australia: Unemployment rate at eight-month low in December
January 21, 2021
Seasonally-adjusted employment soared by 50,000 in November, following 90,000 jobs gain in November.
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Australia: Retail sales jump in November
January 11, 2021
Nominal retail sales in November soared 7.1% over the previous month in seasonally-adjusted terms, following October’s 1.4% increase. Particularly pronounced increases were recorded in household goods retailing, clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing, department stores, cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services and other retailing. In annual terms, retail sales jumped 12.1% in November, following October’s 7.7% expansion.
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Australia: Unemployment rate drops in November
December 17, 2020
Seasonally-adjusted employment soared by 90,000 in November, following revised 180,400 jobs gain in October (previously reported: +178,800).
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Australia: Business confidence at highest level in close to three years in November
December 11, 2020
The business confidence index produced by National Australia Bank (NAB) soared from 3.2 points in October to 12.4 points in November, marking the highest reading since April 2018.