April 2013:
- The unemployment rate at 5.5%.
- Full-time employment increased 34,500 to 8,159,700
- Part-time employment increased 15,600 to 3,503,500.
- Unemployment decreased 2,700 (0.4%) to 685,300.
- The number of persons looking for full-time work remained steady at 502,800
- The number of persons looking for part-time work decreased 2,700 to 182,500.
Choose your area carefully though, these rates vary between:
- 2.1% Unemployment in Sydney Northern Beaches, NSW
- 2.3% Central Metropolitan Perth, WA
- 3.0% Gippsland, VIC
- 3.7% West Moreton, QLD
- 4.1% Southern Adelaide, SA
- …..
- 7.2% Far North, QLD
- 7.4% South West Metropolitan Perth, WA
- 8.4% Northern Adelaide, SA
- 9.3% Southern Statistical Region, TAS
- 9.4% North Western Melbourne, VIC
- 13.3% Unemployment in Illawarra, NSW
Source: ABS: 6291.0.55.001 – Labour Force, Australia
Australia uses the standard international definition of unemployment. oecd.org with an age range 15-64.
Full-time workers are defined as employed persons who usually work 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs), or those who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more in the survey reference week.
Part-time workers are defined as employed persons who usually work less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs), and either did so during the reference week, or were not at work in the reference week.
The ABS regards the trend estimates of unemployment as more reliable than the seasonally adjusted ones, but commentators almost always refer to the latter.
347.1 - 811,748