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Unemployment holds steady at 5.6%
Australia’s unemployment rate has remained unchanged, after an increase in jobs was cancelled out by an increase in people looking for work.
The unemployment rate for June was 5.6 per cent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. That compares to a rate of 5.6 per cent in May and 5.8 per cent in June 2016.
Between May and June of this year, employment rose by 14,000, with full-time employment increasing by 62,000 and part-time employment decreasing by 48,000.
The participation rate in June was 65.0 per cent – an increase on the 64.9 per cent result posted the month before and the 64.8 per cent result posted the year before.
The number of hours worked throughout Australia climbed 0.5 per cent over the month and 3.9 per cent over the year.
| June 2017 | Monthly change | Annual change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.6% | Unchanged | -0.2 points |
| Unemployed persons | 0.7 million | 1.8% | -0.8% |
| Employed persons | 12.2 million | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Participation rate | 65.0% | 0.1 points | 0.2 points |
| Monthly hours worked | 1.7 billion | 0.5% | 3.9% |
State-by-state breakdown
The Northern Territory continues to have Australia’s lowest unemployment rate, at 3.1 per cent.
South Australia continues to have the highest unemployment rate, at 6.6 per cent.
Tasmania was the big improver over the past year, with unemployment falling from 6.6 to 5.6 per cent.
The ACT recorded the worst decline, with unemployment climbing from 3.6 to 4.4 per cent.
Unemployment also worsened in Victoria, while it held steady in Queensland.
| June 2017 | Previous month | Previous year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 4.8% | 4.8% | 5.3% |
| Victoria | 5.9% | 6.0% | 5.7% |
| Queensland | 6.5% | 6.1% | 6.5% |
| South Australia | 6.6% | 6.9% | 7.0% |
| Western Australia | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.7% |
| Tasmania | 5.6% | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| Northern Territory | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.7% |
| ACT | 4.4% | 4.2% | 3.6% |
| Australia | 5.6% | 5.6% | 5.8% |
Disclaimer
This article is over two years old, last updated on July 21, 2017. While RateCity makes best efforts to update every important article regularly, the information in this piece may not be as relevant as it once was. Alternatively, please consider checking recent superannuation articles.
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