Caution over ‘tremendous’ jobs figures

Caution over ‘tremendous’ jobs figures

Australia’s jobless fee held regular at 3.7 per cent in August after the economic system added a bumper 64,900 jobs throughout the month within the newest signal that Australia is on observe to keep away from a tough touchdown.

Growth in part-time jobs made up the lion’s share of the employment beneficial properties, up 62,100 positions, whereas full-time jobs grew by 2800, recent seasonally adjusted figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics present.

The enhance simply offsets the 14,600 job losses recorded in August.

The participation fee, which measures the proportion of the working-aged inhabitants who’re in work or searching for work, edged up by 0.1 share level to a document 67 per cent.

Despite Australia’s inhabitants surging by 563,200 within the yr to March, together with an inflow of 454,400 worldwide migrants, employees simply as simply discovered a job, as employment progress saved tempo with the nation’s surging inhabitants.

The employment-to-population ratio now sits at a collection excessive of 64.5 per cent.

However, the underemployment fee – which measures these with a job however who’re searching for extra hours, rose to six.6 per cent, up from 6.4 per cent in July.

The ACT had the bottom unemployment fee at simply 3.2 per cent, carefully adopted by NSW at 3.3 per cent.

ABS head of labour statistics Bjorn Jarvis stated labour pressure information confirmed the roles market continued to stay tight.

“The large increase in employment in August came after a small drop in July around the school holiday period. Looking over the past two months, the average employment growth was around 32,000 people per month, which is similar to the average growth over the past year,” Mr Jarvis stated.

“The participation rate also increased, up to a record high of 67 per cent in August, which, together with the high employment-to-population ratio, continues to reflect a tight labour market.”

When the unemployment fee jumped by 0.2 share factors final month, economists predicted that the labour market had reached a turning level.

But regardless of the slowing financial progress, which sits at simply 2.1 per cent on an annual fee, the roles market stays proper.

Indeed, Australia’s labour market has remained terribly resilient because the pandemic, with the jobless fee nearing 50-year lows in July and October final yr when it dropped to simply 3.4 per cent.

Welcoming the recent figures, Treasurer Jim Chalmers described it the consequence as “tremendous” however warned future job losses had been inevitable.

“More Australians are in work than ever before, the participation rate is at a record high, and we still have an unemployment rate near historic lows,” Dr Chalmers stated.

“High interest rates, high but moderating inflation and continuing global uncertainty – particularly the slowdown in China – will inevitably weigh on our economy and our labour market in the year ahead.”

But ANZ head of Australian economics Adam Boyton stated the labour pressure survey was “more mixed” than the headline 64,900 acquire in employment suggests.

“The vast bulk of jobs growth being part‑time and hours worked falling in the month takes the gloss off the impressive headline jobs print,” Mr Boyton stated.

“Yes, the labour market is still very solid but slack is creeping in – witness the increase in the underemployment rate to 6.6 per cent in August from 6.4 per cent in July.”

Originally printed as Unemployment fee regular at 3.7 per cent as job numbers, migration surge

Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au