Labour market 'remains tight,' according to ABS data
Australia's unemployment rate rose to 4.1% in April, up by 0.2% percentage points from the previous month, according to the latest data from the Statistics Bureau.
ABS data revealed that employment rose by around 38,000 people, while unemployment went up by 30,000.
"The 30,000-people increase in unemployment reflected more people without jobs available and looking for work, and also more people than usual indicating that they had a job that they were waiting to start in," said Bjorn Jarvis, ABS head of labour statistics, in a statement.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics
The increase in both employment and unemployment in April saw the country's participation rate to 66.7%, while the employment-to-population ratio remained steady at 64%.
"This suggests that the labour market remains tight, though less tight than late 2022 and early 2023," Jarvis said.
By location, Victoria and South Australia reported the highest unemployment rates with 4.2%. Other states and territories registered the following:
- Queensland (4.1%)
- Tasmania (4.1%)
- Northern Territory (4.1%)
- New South Wales (4%)
- Western Australia (3.9%)
- Australian Capital Territory (3.8%)
Other employment data
Meanwhile, underemployment went up 6.6% in April 2024, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month, according to the ABS. Underutilisation rate also increased to 10.7%, up 0.3 percentage points.
Hours worked in April was similar to the normal pattern usually observed during the Easter holidays, the ABS said.
"In contrast to what we saw last year, when fewer people than usual took time off around the Easter holidays in April 2023, the proportion of people working reduced hours in April 2024 was more similar to what we saw before the COVID-19 pandemic," Jarvis said.
