Condition
Unemployment
Are more Australians out of work than when the government took office?
Unemployment: 4.0% in May 2022, 4.6% in Aug 2026. The highest level since Oct 2021.
- Latest
- 4.6%
- Since the government took office
- Worse+0.6 pts
- Over the past year
- Worse+0.40 pts
Unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)
- Seasonally adjusted
What this is
The share of people in the labour force (working or actively looking for work) who do not have a job, from the ABS Labour Force Survey of about 50,000 people each month. Seasonally adjusted.
Why it matters
It is the most-watched measure of whether the economy is providing enough work. It doesn't show underemployment (people who want more hours) or what kind of jobs are being created.
More from the figures
- 168,200 more Australians are unemployed than in May 2022.
How it’s calculated
Seasonally adjusted unemployment rate from the ABS Labour Force survey (via RBA Table H5), cross-checked against the ABS Data API.