Jobless trend in right direction: Cash

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash has tried to play down the jump in the jobless rate, saying unemployment is heading in the right direction in trend terms.

New figures showed the widely-used seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate unexpectedly rose to six per cent in January when economists had expected its to remain at 5.8 per cent, while in trend terms it eased to 5.8 per cent from 5.9 per cent.

"When you look at the overall trend, we are still heading in the right direction," Senator Cash told reporters in Perth on Thursday.