Fed: Jobless rate rises to 5.7 per cent in July - ABS

AAP General News (Australia)
08-12-2004
Fed: Jobless rate rises to 5.7 per cent in July - ABS

CANBERRA, Aug 12 AAP - Australia's unemployment rate has gone up for the second month
in a row, hitting 5.7 per cent in July, new figures showed today.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said the jobless rate rose from 5.6 per cent
in June after a 21,600 jump in jobs, allowing for seasonal influences.

The rise in employment, all in part-time work, followed two months of declines but
was below market expectations.

The increase in the jobless rate was driven by rising numbers of jobseekers, with the
participation rate - the proportion of people either working or looking for work - increasing
0.1 percentage points to 63.6 per cent.

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