{table} Trend Estimates • Employment increased 20,600 to 12,762,800 persons. Full-time employment increased 12,300 to 8,743,400 persons and part-time employment increased 8,200 to 4,019,300 persons. • Unemployment increased 1,800 to 673,100 persons. • Unemployment rate remained steady at 5.0%. • Participation rate remained steady at 65.6%. • Monthly hours worked in all jobs increased 2.6 million hours to 1767.0 million hours. Seasonally Adjusted Estimates • Employment increased 4,600 to 12,763,400 persons. Full-time employment decreased 7,300 to 8,742,700 persons and part-time employment increased 11,900 to 4,020,700 ... (full story)

Australia’s unemployment rate fell unexpectedly in February, dropping to fresh multi-year lows. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the unemployment rate dipped to 4.9% in seasonally adjusted terms, beating expectations for a steady reading of 5%. It now sits at the lowest level since June 2011. The lower unemployment rate came despite a steep slowdown in employment which rose by 4,600 after seasonal adjustments, undershooting forecasts for a larger increase of 15,000. Full-time employment fell by 7,300, masked by a 11,900 increase in part-time workers. The decline in the unemployment rate ... (full story)