Australia’s Jobless Rate Declines to 4.1 Percent

(MENAFN) Australia's jobless rate declined to 4.1 percent in December while total labor hours surged past two billion for the first time in the nation's history, government data disclosed Thursday.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported the unemployment figure retreated from November's 4.3 percent to match the lowest level witnessed throughout 2025 at 4.1 percent.

Employment gains proved robust across the final month of the year. The workforce expanded by 65,200 positions between November and December, while those officially categorized as jobless decreased by 29,800 during the identical timeframe, according to bureau statistics.

The ABS indicated that full-time positions accounted for the majority of growth, adding 54,800 workers, with part-time roles contributing an additional 10,400 employees.

Sean Crick, head of labor statistics at the ABS, noted a demographic trend driving the improvements. "This month we saw more 15-24 year olds moving into employment, contributing to the rise in overall employment and the fall in the unemployment rate," he stated.

Australians collectively worked 0.4 percent more hours between November and December, pushing the total to an unprecedented 2.0 billion hours.

Labor force participation—measuring the proportion of working-age individuals either employed or actively seeking positions—edged upward from 66.6 percent in November to 66.7 percent in December. Despite this improvement, the metric remained beneath the all-time peak of 67.2 percent established in January 2025.

MENAFN22012026000045017169ID1110634137