Australia jobless rate falls to 4.2% in July on full-time hiring surge

Sean Crick, ABS head of labour statistics, said: “With employment rising by 25,000 people and the number of unemployed decreasing by 10,000 people, the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 4.2 per cent in July.”

Full-time jobs surged by 60,000—driven by a 40,000 increase in female employment and a 20,000 rise for males—partly offset by a 36,000 drop in part-time positions. This lifted the employment-to-population ratio to 64.2 per cent, while the participation rate held steady at 67.0 per cent. Female employment and participation both reached record highs at 60.9 per cent and 63.5 per cent, respectively, the ABS said in a media release.

Hours worked rose 0.3 per cent, outpacing the 0.2 per cent employment growth. The underemployment rate declined to 5.9 per cent, its lowest since March 2020, and the underutilisation rate fell to 10.1 per cent.

In trend terms, unemployment remained at 4.2 per cent, with annual employment growth slowing to match population growth. Monthly hours worked and participation also recorded modest gains.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (KD)