The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released key labour force data for January 2026 which shows that the unemployment rate remains at 4.1 per cent.
The unemployment rate previously went down to 4.1 per cent in December from the 4.3 per cent recorded in November.
Unemployment Rate Stays the Same for January 2026
According to a report by ABC News, economists have suggested that the unchanging unemployment rate shows that the economy is operating close to capacity.
Numbers from the statistics bureau also show that underemployment increased to 5.9%. It was recorded at 5.7% in December.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers issued a statement saying that “Under our government, we have seen the lowest average unemployment for any government in 50 years.”
“As the Reserve Bank Governor said last week, the state of the labour market is good news for our economy, especially compared to other countries grappling with much higher unemployment,” he added.
How About Employment?
Even as the unemployment rate remained the same, employment rose to 14,703,800, according to the statistics bureau.
Full-time employment also increased by 50,500 to 10,155,500 people. Part-time employment, on the other hand, decreased by 32,700 to 4,548,400 people.
Participation rate for January is 66.7 per cent, which is the same as the rate in December.
