Employment increased 26,000 to 12,196,900. Unemployment decreased 1,800 to 726,000. Unemployment rate remained steady at 5.6%. Participation rate increased by less than 0.1 pts, but remained at 65.0% in rounded terms. Monthly hours worked in all jobs increased 5.2 million hours (0.3%) to 1,696.4 million hours. SEASONALLY ADJUSTED ESTIMATES (MONTHLY CHANGE) Employment increased 27,900 to 12,201,400. Full-time employment decreased 20,300 to 8,342,300 and part-time employment increased 48,200 to 3,859,100. Unemployment increased 1,100 to 730,600. The number of unemployed persons looking for full-time work decreased ... (full story)

Australia’s labor market continued to blossom in July, as employers increased payrolls for a fifth consecutive month. However, the entirety of the gains were concentrated in part-time positions, reviving previous concerns of slack in the labor force. In seasonally adjusted terms, overall employment rose by 27,900 last month, following a revised gain of 20,000 in June, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said in a report on Thursday. Analysts in a median forecast called for a net gain of 19,800. Full-time employment fell by 20,300, following a revised gain of 69,300 in June that was higher than initially forecast. ... (full story)