Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 4.1% in December 2025, down from 4.3% in November, surpassing the anticipated rate of 4.4%. This figure represents the lowest unemployment level since May, as the number of unemployed individuals fell by 29,800, reaching a seven-month low of 628,600 in December from 658,400 in the previous month. Within this group, the count of those seeking full-time work decreased by 21,400 to 421,700, while individuals looking for part-time employment reduced by 8,400 to 206,800.
At the same time, employment rose significantly by 65,200, hitting a record high of 14.68 million, exceeding projections of a 30,000 increase and recovering from a revised decline of 28,700 in November. The number of full-time positions increased by 54,800, totaling 10.10 million, while part-time roles saw a rise of 10,400, reaching 4.58 million. The participation rate edged up slightly to 66.7% from 66.6% in November, although it fell short of the estimated 66.8%. The underemployment rate saw a decrease, coming down to 5.7% from November's 6.2%. Furthermore, the total monthly hours worked across all jobs grew by 8 million, amounting to 2,001 million hours.
