Australia Jobless Rate Holds Steady at 4.2%

Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 4.2% in August 2025, unchanged from the previous month and in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed people fell by 900, bringing the total to 647,400. Among them, those seeking part-time jobs declined by 3,600 to 204,400, while those looking for full-time jobs increased by 3,000 to 443,000. Meanwhile, employment unexpectedly declined by 5,400 to 14.63 million, missing forecasts of a 22,000 increase, following an upwardly revised gain of 26,500 in July. Full-time employment decreased by 40,900 to 10.08 million, while part-time employment increased by 35,500 to 4.55 million. The participation rate declined to 66.8%, just below the market expectation of 67, marking the lowest since March. The underemployment rate edged down to 5.7% from 5.8%. Additionally, total monthly hours worked across all jobs dropped by 8 million to 1,977 million.