Are you excluded from the unemployment figures?
2 years, 6 months ago

Are you excluded from the unemployment figures?

ABC  

We got two bits of interesting news about the labour market last week. It occurred because more people joined the labour force to look for work last month, to fight over those vacancies, but a minority of them weren't lucky enough to find work so they were officially counted as "unemployed." You get the unemployment rate by taking all of the people in that "unemployed" box and dividing them by the number of people in the "labour force" box. The unemployment rate is only referring to a specific subset of unemployed people who can start work immediately, and who are useful to employers to fill job vacancies immediately. So, that's an extra 168,700 people who showed signs of wanting work but who weren't counted in the official unemployment figures.

Job Data Labour Unemployment Work Vacancies Start Force Figures More People Photo Unemployed People Officially Unemployed Job Vacancies Officially Unemployed People Nilf That Nilf Group  job  unemployed  vacancies  start  excluded  work  figures  data  force  officially  labour  unemployment

History of this topic

Unemployment edges up despite more than 50,000 extra jobs amid population and participation growth
8 months, 1 week ago

Unemployment edges up despite more than 50,000 extra jobs amid population and participation growth

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate has continued to edge higher, despite the creation of about 50,000, mostly full-time, jobs. "The participation rate in June was only 0.1 percentage point lower than the historical high of 67.0 per cent in November 2023," he noted. "This, along with the continued high level of job vacancies, suggests the labour market remains relatively tight, despite the …

What's the unemployment rate in your region? This data tells you
10 months, 3 weeks ago

What's the unemployment rate in your region? This data tells you

ABC  

Do you feel like the unemployment rate doesn't reflect the reality of where you're living? "This new data will provide regions across Australia with a much better indication of the state of their labour market and how it’s changing over time," he said. "Regional labour market information is some of the most sought-after information the ABS produces, so it's exciting …

The jobs market is strong for now, but unemployment will be the last indicator of recession
1 year, 9 months ago

The jobs market is strong for now, but unemployment will be the last indicator of recession

ABC  

The latest unemployment numbers had a lot of us scratching our heads — economists, journalists, financial traders, possibly even the statisticians themselves. After more than a year of interest rate rises at the fastest pace in recent history, all while Australians hold more debt than they ever have before, employers added close to 76,000 extra staff pushing unemployment back down …

Unemployment rises for the first time in 10 months despite continuing jobs boom
2 years, 6 months ago

Unemployment rises for the first time in 10 months despite continuing jobs boom

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate has ticked up to 3.5 per cent in August, from 3.4 per cent the month before. Key points: The unemployment rate rises for the first time since October 2021 ABS data show 33,500 jobs were added in August but workforce participation also rose More than three-quarters of a million Australians worked reduced hours last month due to …

One unemployed person per vacant job: Has Australia finally hit full employment?
2 years, 8 months ago

One unemployed person per vacant job: Has Australia finally hit full employment?

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate is 3.5 per cent, and it hasn't been this low since August 1974. But even accounting for those realities, he said full employment would see far more people in jobs than existed in the wasteful inter-war years, when 10 per cent of the workforce was frequently without work. But a few years later, after full employment had …

Unemployment plunges as post-Delta economic recovery sees jobs boom
3 years, 2 months ago

Unemployment plunges as post-Delta economic recovery sees jobs boom

ABC  

A jobs boom after the Delta outbreak restrictions were lifted in Australia's south-east has seen unemployment plunge to just 4.2 per cent. Key points: Australia's unemployment rate is the lowest since August 2008 Underemployment fell sharply and hours worked rose 1 per cent The data from early December pre-dates the peak of Australia's Omicron outbreak The official ABS data show …

Forget the unemployment rate. Job seekers need better numbers
3 years, 4 months ago

Forget the unemployment rate. Job seekers need better numbers

ABC  

Every month, Australia's employment statistics are reported in ways that are framed for employers. Here's why the unemployment rate doesn't make sense Photo shows Queue at Centrelink Victoria Park Why aren't the monthly unemployment data presented in ways that help job seekers? Since the number of officially unemployed people increased as a proportion of the labour force, that's why the …

Why doesn't the unemployment rate make sense? Because it's not designed for you
3 years, 5 months ago

Why doesn't the unemployment rate make sense? Because it's not designed for you

ABC  

When you hear people talking about the unemployment rate, does the number ever make sense to you? Don't job seekers want to know how many jobs are actually available at the moment, and how many people are competing for each job? Don't they want to know how long it's taking to find a job in the current labour market? Now, …

Why are millions of unemployed people excluded from our monthly 'unemployment' data?
3 years, 5 months ago

Why are millions of unemployed people excluded from our monthly 'unemployment' data?

ABC  

Do you scratch your head when you hear the government talking about the unemployment rate? Let's look at it again: to be considered officially unemployed, you must be available to start work in the same two weeks as the labour force survey is taking place. And that means you're shunted off into a different definitional category, called "not in the …

Hundreds of thousands of Australians are desperately looking for work — here are three of their stories
3 years, 6 months ago

Hundreds of thousands of Australians are desperately looking for work — here are three of their stories

ABC  

Searching for a job after redundancy can be soul-destroying, but it becomes crippling when you're presented with further hurdles to finding work — sometimes outside of your control. "Walking into an interview and knowing straight-up, from the look on people's faces, that I have no chance of getting that job," the 62-year-old says. A government spokesperson told us they expect …

Australian job seekers are dropping out of the market, but it's not because they don't want to work
3 years, 6 months ago

Australian job seekers are dropping out of the market, but it's not because they don't want to work

ABC  

At any given time, there is a proportion of the population over the age of 15 who are not working. "There's likely a large number of young people who are not able to access any work in that time," Centre for Future Work senior economist Alison Pennington says. "Off the back of our unprecedented $291 billion in economic support, more …

Sydney's second city-wide COVID lockdown is hitting jobs harder than its first
3 years, 6 months ago

Sydney's second city-wide COVID lockdown is hitting jobs harder than its first

ABC  

The extended lockdowns in Sydney have hit its payroll jobs harder than last year's lockdowns, with construction jobs hit significantly hard, economists say. Key points: Payroll jobs have fallen 8.9 per cent in Greater Sydney since lockdowns began In the same period, payroll jobs have fallen 3.8 per cent in New South Wales Economists say the negative momentum is accelerating …

Unemployment rate dropped early in lockdown as people gave up looking for work, data reveals
3 years, 7 months ago

Unemployment rate dropped early in lockdown as people gave up looking for work, data reveals

ABC  

Australia's official unemployment rate dropped early on in the latest round of lockdowns, as the number of people looking for work fell. Key points: Unemployment fell to 4.6 per cent last month, from 4.9 per cent in June The unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since December 2008 The ABS says a huge fall in labour force participation …

Australia's unemployment rate falls below 5 per cent for the first time in 10 years
3 years, 8 months ago

Australia's unemployment rate falls below 5 per cent for the first time in 10 years

ABC  

With the unemployment rate hitting its lowest level in a decade, you would expect the federal government to be celebrating loudly. Key points: Unemployment rate falls to 4.9 per cent, from 5.1 per cent It's the lowest unemployment rate in a decade The lockdowns in New South Wales will impact the jobs data in coming months But Prime Minister Scott …

We should thank the unemployed for their service. They've been used to control inflation
3 years, 8 months ago

We should thank the unemployed for their service. They've been used to control inflation

ABC  

I want to show you something. Well, if the unemployment rate starts declining, and their model's telling them it's very close to, or has fallen below, the presumed "natural" level, they'll lift interest rates to "take some heat out" of the economy. By preventing the unemployment rate from falling below its presumed "natural" level, they've been using hundreds of thousands …

Unemployment rate rises to 7 per cent as more people look for work, but employment jumps by 179,000
4 years, 4 months ago

Unemployment rate rises to 7 per cent as more people look for work, but employment jumps by 179,000

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate edged higher last month as more people looked for work, but there was a strong surge in the number of people hired as Victoria's coronavirus lockdown eased. Key points: Unemployment climbed from 6.9 per cent to 7 per cent in October Underemployment fell from 11.4 per cent to 10.4 per cent Youth unemployment lifted by 1 per …

Australia's unemployment rate could be higher than 6.9 per cent according to analysis of welfare payments
4 years, 5 months ago

Australia's unemployment rate could be higher than 6.9 per cent according to analysis of welfare payments

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate could be much higher than the 6.9 per cent reported last week, according to an ABC analysis of Federal Government welfare payments. Key points: Australia's jobless rate peaked at 7.5 per cent in July during the pandemic The gap between the unemployment rate and the JobSeeker rate is much higher in regional and rural areas. Economist Sarah …

Unemployment rate falls but job seekers say finding work is still 'really hard'
4 years, 6 months ago

Unemployment rate falls but job seekers say finding work is still 'really hard'

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate is falling, but those without work say it is not getting any easier to find a job, especially in locked-down Victoria. Key points: The official ABS unemployment rate has fallen from 7.5 per cent in July to 6.8 per cent in August The percentage of underemployed people, who wanted to work more hours than they did, remained …

Unemployment edges up despite massive coronavirus jobs bounce-back
4 years, 7 months ago

Unemployment edges up despite massive coronavirus jobs bounce-back

ABC  

The job creation headline was strong, with almost 115,000 new positions being filled last month, but finding work remains a hard slog for Liesl Filippi. Key points: Unemployment was expected to jump from 7.4 to 7.8 per cent, but only rose to 7.5 per cent Hours worked rose by 1.3 per cent as 43,500 full-time jobs were added, and 71,200 …

Coronavirus has hit Australia's job market harder than unemployment figures suggest
4 years, 10 months ago

Coronavirus has hit Australia's job market harder than unemployment figures suggest

ABC  

National unemployment figures released this week are some of the most confusing in Australia's history. That's why the number of "monthly hours worked" is a much better indicator of the state of the labour force than the unemployment rate. He says if you add the number of people who left the labour force with the number of officially unemployed people, …

Why did the official unemployment rate barely rise in March, despite coronavirus spurring job losses?
4 years, 11 months ago

Why did the official unemployment rate barely rise in March, despite coronavirus spurring job losses?

ABC  

Australia's official unemployment rate only rose slightly last month to 5.2 per cent, up from 5.1 per cent in February. 'Employed' but working zero hours However, next month we'll Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus outbreak Download the ABC News app and subscribe to our range of news alerts for the latest on how the pandemic is impacting the world The …

Unemployment rate in February climbs to 2.5 year-high of 7.2% despite fall in number of job seekers: CMIE data
6 years ago

Unemployment rate in February climbs to 2.5 year-high of 7.2% despite fall in number of job seekers: CMIE data

Firstpost  

When the government has released official data for the jobless rate in the past it has tended to be out-of-date. New Delhi: The unemployment rate in India rose to 7.2 percent in February 2019, the highest since September 2016, and up from 5.9 percent in February 2018, according to data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy that was …

Unemployment edges down to 5pc despite a cooling economy
6 years, 2 months ago

Unemployment edges down to 5pc despite a cooling economy

ABC  

The Australian jobs market has defied cooling economic conditions, with the unemployment rate edging down to 5 per cent in December. Key points: Unemployment edges down to 5pc, its lowest level since June 2011 Part-time employment growth outpaced full time jobs, which fell by 3,000 over December. "Labour market continued to track well to end 2018, but the spare capacity …

Unemployment holds steady at 5.9pc, on a 60,000-strong jobs surge
7 years, 11 months ago

Unemployment holds steady at 5.9pc, on a 60,000-strong jobs surge

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate has remained steady at 5.9 per cent in March, boosted by the creation of 60,900 jobs. This increase in participation is the reason why the unemployment rate remained stuck at 5.9 per cent, despite extremely strong jobs growth. "That pushed the participation up from 64.6 per cent to an eight-month high of 64.8 per cent and left …

Unemployment rate falls, but full-time jobs slump in January: ABS
8 years, 1 month ago

Unemployment rate falls, but full-time jobs slump in January: ABS

ABC  

Australia's unemployment rate has fallen slightly to 5.7 per cent, as a surge in part-time jobs offset a slump in full-time work. The Bureau of Statistics seasonally adjusted data show the jobless rate fell from 5.8 to 5.7 per cent last month. "We are still seeing strong growth in part-time employment in January 2017 and, in recent months, increasing growth …

ABS unemployment rate remains steady at 5.7pc in May
8 years, 9 months ago

ABS unemployment rate remains steady at 5.7pc in May

ABC  

Unemployment has remained steady at 5.7 per cent in May with the estimated addition of 17,900 jobs. Key points: The proportion of people in work or looking for it, remained steady at 64.8 per cent Australia needs to create about 20,000 jobs a month to keep unemployment rate stable Unemployment rose in Victoria to 5.8 per cent, WA 5.7 per …

The jobs figures may well add up, but they’re no use to anyone
9 years ago

The jobs figures may well add up, but they’re no use to anyone

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy To the average Briton, the …

Doing a job on the employment figures
12 years, 10 months ago

Doing a job on the employment figures

ABC  

Shock, horror - unemployment fell in April. After all, none of the 22 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg even got their estimates within the ABS survey's margin of error: the bureau is 95 per cent sure the real unemployment rate is between 4.7 and 5.1 per cent, and the lowest economist estimate was 5.2 per cent. However, for those willing to …

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