Australia’s unemployment rate increased to 4.5% in April as both full-time and part-time employment sank, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Employment fell by 18,600 people to 14,737,400 during the month. Westpac economists had forecast a 15,000 increase in employment and a 4.3% unemployment rate.
“Compared to what we usually see in April, more people remained unemployed this month,” said ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick.
“Both full-time and part-time employment fell, by 11,000 and 8,000 people respectively.”
The unemployment rate was 4.3% in March, and the number of employed people had risen by nearly 18,000 that month.
Full-time employment among women dropped by 19,000 people, while part-time female employment declined by 13,000. This is Australia’s first decrease in female employment since August 2025.
Employment among men increased by 8,000 for full-time workers and 5,000 for part-time workers, meanwhile.
Hours worked rose by 15.8 million last month, or 0.9% per person. In March, hours worked increased by 9.2 million.
Full-time hours worked were up 1.0% per person in April, while for part-time workers this increased by 0.6%.
