The unemployment rate has risen to 4.1 per cent with an estimated 500 jobs created in January, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). "This was the first time in two years, since January 2022, that the unemployment rate had been above 4 per cent," noted the bureau's head of labour statistics Bjorn Jarvis. The number of people considered officially unemployed increased by 22,000 last month, and hours worked fell by 2.5 per cent, continuing the general slowing in hours worked since mid-2023. The numbers were weaker across the board, with the underemployment rate ticking up 0.1 of a percentage point to ... (full story)