Australia Jobless Rate Highest Since Late 2021

Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.3% in June 2025, ending a five-month hold and surpassing market expectations, both at 4.1%. This marked the highest jobless rate since November 2021, as the number of unemployed people increased by 33,600 to 659,600, with those seeking full-time jobs climbing 21.5 thousand to 442.0 thousand while those looking for part-time jobs increased by 12.1 thousand to 217.6 thousand. Meanwhile, employment rose by just 2,000 to 14.62 million, well below forecasts of a 20 thousand increase, after a downwardly revised 1.100 fall in May. Part-time employment increased by 40,200 to 4.56 million, while full-time employment decreased by 38,200 to 10.06 million. The participation rate edged up to 67.1%, slightly above both May’s figure and market expectations of 67.0%. The underemployment rate also ticked up to 6.0% from 5.9%. Meanwhile, total monthly hours worked across all jobs fell by 19 million to 1,974 million.