6105.0 - Australian Labour Market Statistics, Apr 2003  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 29/04/2003   
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MEDIA RELEASE

April 29, 2003
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
43/2003

Australian Bureau of Statistics releases new labour force market publication

The first issue of Australian Labour Market Statistics was released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This new quarterly publication draws together a range of labour market data sourced from ABS household and business surveys to provide an overall picture of the labour market.

The new publication includes statistics on employment and unemployment, hours worked, underemployment, job vacancies, weekly earnings and industrial disputes. It also includes a number of articles providing further insight into labour market statistics.

The first issue contains two feature articles relating to:
  • Characteristics of underemployed workers; and
  • Job vacancies as a leading indicator of employment.

The publication also contains updated labour underutilisation rates. The labour force underutilisation rate shows the proportion of the labour force who are either unemployed or underemployed. This rate was developed to provide a broader picture of labour underutilisation than that given by the standard unemployment rate.

In the year to September 2002, the labour force underutilisation rate fell from 12.5% to 11.9%, while the unemployment rate fell from 6.8% to 6.2%. The labour force underutilisation rate was higher for women than men in September 2002 (13.6% and 10.6% respectively), although the unemployment rate was higher for men than women (6.3% and 6.1% respectively).

Further information is in Australian Labour Market Statistics, April 2003 (cat. no. 6105.0).