Employment in Australia increased by 40,300 to 14.74 million in May 2026, recovering from a revised fall of 40,700 in April and exceeding market expectations of a 30,000 gain. This was the strongest rise in employment since December, largely driven by a 35,200 increase in part-time positions to 4.60 million, while full-time employment also grew by 5,200 to 10.14 million.
The employment-to-population ratio inched up to 63.8% from 63.7%, its first increase in six months, and the labour force participation rate edged higher to 66.7% from 66.6%. On an annual basis, total employment was up by 147,500, or 1.0%.
