Australia Jobless Rate Steady at 4.1% for 3rd Month

Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 4.1% in May 2025, unchanged from the previous two months and in line with market expectations.

The number of unemployed people declined by 2,600 to 618,300, with those seeking full-time jobs falling 16.1 thousand to 415.2 thousand while those looking for part-time jobs increased by 13.5 thousand to 203 thousand.

Meanwhile, employment unexpectedly fell by 2,500 to 14.62 million, missing forecasts of a 25,000 increase, after a downwardly revised 87.6 thousand rise in April.

Part-time employment declined by 41,100 to 4.52 million, while full-time employment increased by 38,700 to a fresh record high of 10.10 million.

The participation rate edged down to 67.0% from April's three-month high of 67.1% and below forecasts of 67.1%.

The underemployment rate inched down to 5.9% from 6.0%.

Monthly hours worked in all jobs increased by 25 million to 1,994 million.