Australia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.1% in January 2026, unchanged from December and slightly below market expectations of 4.2%. It remained the lowest rate since May, highlighting the continued resilience of the labor market. The number of unemployed people edged down by 1,900 to an eight-month low of 624,700 from 626,600 in December, with the number of people seeking full-time work falling by 16,000 to 403,600, while those looking for part-time jobs increased by 14,100 to 221,100.
Total employment rose by 17,800 to a record 14.70 million, compared with forecasts of a 20,000 gain and following an upwardly revised 68,500 increase in December. Full-time employment grew by 50,500 to 10.16 million, while part-time employment declined by 32,700 to 4.55 million. The participation rate was unchanged at 66.7%, slightly below the consensus estimate of 66.8%. The underemployment rate inched up to 5.9% from 5.7% in the previous month. Meanwhile, total monthly hours worked across all jobs increased by 11 million to 2,013 million.
