Unemployment rises to 5.8% in December

Australia's unemployment rate rose to 5.8 percent in December, official figures show, missing expectations of it staying at 5.7 percent.

The total number of people with jobs rose by 13,500 in the month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said today, with the market forecasting a rise of 12,000.

Full-time employment rose by 9,300 jobs, while the number of part-time jobs was up by 4,200.

The participation rate, which refers to the number of people either employed or actively looking for work, was up at 64.7 percent in December from 64.6 in November.