High jobless rate a spur to reform: Abbott

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says the jobless rate is higher than his government would like and points to the need for reform.

As expected by economists, Australian Bureau of Statistics data on Thursday showed the unemployment remained at a decade high of six per cent in February.

However, the number of people in employment jumped by 47,300 in February, much stronger than the 10,000 increase expected by economists.

Mr Abbott said high unemployment was an "important spur" to further economic reform.

"Plainly unemployment at six per cent is much higher than we would like it and plainly if we want to see more people employed we have got to get taxes down," he told reporters in Adelaide.

However, he did say that under the previous Labor government, the unemployment rate was forecast to be 6.25 per cent at this stage.

"While I'm not in any way satisfied with today's figures, I'm deeply dissatisfied with today's figures, they are a little better than was forecast under Labor," he said.