Australia's Jobs Rise by 17,900, Moving Below Expectations
Employment in Australia increased by 17,900 to a record 14.76 million in March 2026, a sharp slowdown from February's upwardly revised increase of 49,600. This result was also slightly below market expectations of a 20,000 increase, marking the weakest job growth since the contraction last November.
The composition of employment showed a shift. Full-time employment remained strong, rising by 52,500 to 10.17 million, while part-time employment fell by 34,600 to 4.59 million. This decline in part-time employment tempered the overall increase and indicated a shift in the structure of employment.
In terms of participation indicators, the employment-to-population ratio remained at 64.0% for the fourth consecutive month. The participation rate fell slightly to 66.8% from 66.9%, signaling that labor supply is not expanding as rapidly as the previous month.
On an annual basis, total employment rose by 258,800, or 1.8%. Going forward, the market will be closely monitoring whether this slowdown continues or is merely a pause after the February surge, particularly through the direction of participation and the composition of full-time versus part-time jobs in the next release. (asd)*
Source: Newsmaker.id
