Unemployment rate rises to 4.1 per cent in June

Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has crept up from 4 per cent to 4.1 per cent in June, despite job vacancy levels remaining at a high level.

Data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows 10,000 more people were unemployed in June compared to the previous month.

However, overall employment rose by 50,000 people, pushing the workforce participation rate up to 69.9 per cent.

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"The participation rate in June was only 0.1 percentage point lower than the historical high of 67.0 per cent in November 2023," ABS head of labour statistics Bjorn Jarvis said.

Despite unemployment trending upwards from a low of 491,000 people in October 2022, it remains at relatively low levels compared to previous years.

It is still around 100,000 people or 14.2 per cent lower than just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of 2020.

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The average number of work hours increased by 0.8 per cent.

Fewer people took annual leave in June, but many more worked reduced hours due to illness, as a wave of viruses swept the country.