People finding work outpaces number of Australians out of jobs
Australia's unemployment rate dropped to 3.9% in November, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
David Taylor, ABS Head of Labour Statistics, said the decline was driven by an increase of 36,000 people finding employment and a decrease of 27,000 in the number of unemployed.
"In November, we saw a higher than usual number of people moving into employment who were unemployed and waiting to start work in October," Taylor said in a statement.
According to the ABS, the participation rate fell slightly by 0.1 percentage point to 67.0%, while the employment-to-population ratio also rose to 64.4%.
The findings come as the latest report from research firm Roy Morgan revealed that Australia's "real" unemployment rate is at 8.6%, a slight decline from the previous month due to a surge in part-time employment.
Among Australian states and territories, Victoria logged the highest unemployment rate with 4.2%, with the state government pointing out that it remains well below the 6.7% in 2014.
The state also saw the highest number of Victorians employed on record, with 3.8 million, after an additional 10,900 Victorians started work in November.
"More Victorians in work shows that the economy is booming backed by our plan that is driving economic growth and creating jobs," said Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas in a statement.
Meanwhile, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory all registered a 3.9% unemployment rate in November.
For South Australia, this is a decline from the 4.2% recorded in October, and is a return to the "threes" that has only been registered in the state for 14 times.
"South Australia's unemployment rate remains historically low, which is great news for workers and the State economy," said SA Treasurer Stephen Mullighan.
The lowest unemployment rate was recorded in Western Australia, with 3.3%.
"The strength of our job market has been incredible, with unemployment at or below four per cent for 37 of the past 38 months," said WA Treasurer Rita Saffioti in a statement.
The number of employed people in WA also reached a new high of 1.63 million in November, after 15,300 people entered work during the month.
"Another month and another record for the Western Australian job market and our economy," Saffioti said. "It's great to see another 15,300 people find work in November, with a record of more than 1.63 million Western Australians now employed."
