Jobless rate a key focus for week

After days discussing Australia's challenges for the next 40 years, the Abbott government will face the reality of how the labour market is performing now.

Treasurer Joe Hockey's intergenerational report last week highlighted that while Australians will live longer, they will also have to work longer.

Thursday's labour force data for February will show that many people want to work now but cannot find employment, with businesses remaining cautious.

In January, the jobless rate jumped to 6.4 per cent from 6.1 per cent the previous month, the highest level in more than 12 years.

The government's budget forecasts an unemployment of 6.5 per cent by mid-2015, while some economists believe the peak could be higher.