Economy also added around 50,000 new jobs, ABS data revealed
The unemployment rate went up slightly to 4.1% in June, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Bjorn Jarvis, ABS head of labour statistics, said the number of unemployed people went up 10,000 in June, after falling 9,000 in May.
"While it has increased from a low of 491,000 people in October 2022 to 608,000 in June, it is still around 100,000 people or 14.2% lower than just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic," Jarvis said in a statement.
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Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
Despite the unemployment rate being above four per cent, findings indicate that the labour market remains tight with the employment-to-population ratio and participation rate still close to record-highs, according to the ABS.
In June, the participation rate was only 0.1 percentage point lower than the record-high 67% in November 2023. The employment-to-population ratio also went up by 0.1 percentage point to reach 64.2%, inching close to the historic high of 64.4% also in November 2023.
"This, along with the continued high level of job vacancies, suggests the labour market remains relatively tight, despite the unemployment rate being above four per cent since April," Jarvis said.
Meanwhile, the Australian economy added around 50,000 jobs in June to bring the Albanese Labor Government's job creation count to nearly 930,000.
"The Albanese Labor Government has now created more jobs in a parliamentary term than any Government in history," said Employment Minister Tony Burke in a statement.
According to ABS data, full-time employment went up by 43,300 to reach more than 9.9 million people. Part-time employment, on the other hand, went up by 6,800 to reach more than 4.4 million.
"Despite inflation being lower than what we inherited and real wages returning to annual growth, the Government remains acutely aware that many Australians are still doing it tough, due to ongoing cost-of-living pressures, Burke said.
"This is why the Albanese Labor Government has provided significant cost-of-living relief in the Budget, which has seen Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn."
