Labour Force, Australia

This is not the latest release View the latest release

Headline estimates of employment, unemployment, underemployment, participation and hours worked from the monthly Labour Force Survey

Reference period
January 2024
Released
15/02/2024

Key statistics

In trend terms, in January 2024:

  • unemployment rate remained at 3.9%. 
  • participation rate decreased to 66.8%.
  • employment increased to 14,221,900.
  • employment to population ratio decreased to 64.1%.
  • underemployment increased to 6.6%.
  • monthly hours worked decreased to 1,906 million.

In seasonally adjusted terms, in January 2024:

  • unemployment rate increased to 4.1%.
  • participation rate remained at 66.8%.
  • employment increased to 14,201,300.
  • employment to population ratio decreased to 64.1%.
  • underemployment rate increased to 6.6%.
  • monthly hours worked decreased to 1,871 million.
  • full-time employment increased by 11,100 to 9,797,800 people.
  • part-time employment decreased by 10,600 to 4,403,500 people.
Key statistics - Trend
Dec-23Jan-24Monthly changeMonthly change (%)Yearly changeYearly change (%)
Employed people14,214,50014,221,9007,4000.1%355,3002.6%
Unemployed people576,400581,6005,2000.9%75,60014.9%
Unemployment rate3.9%3.9%0.0 ptsna0.4 ptsna
Underemployment rate6.5%6.6%0.0 ptsna0.5 ptsna
Participation rate66.9%66.8%-0.1 ptsna0.0 ptsna
Monthly hours worked in all jobs 1,915 million 1,906 million-10 million-0.5%-9 million-0.5%
Key statistics - Seasonally adjusted
Dec-23Jan-24Monthly changeMonthly change (%)Yearly changeYearly change (%)
Employed people14,200,80014,201,3005000.0%356,7002.6%
Unemployed people578,300600,60022,3003.9%77,90014.9%
Unemployment rate3.9%4.1%0.1 ptsna0.4 ptsna
Underemployment rate6.5%6.6%0.1 ptsna0.5 ptsna
Participation rate66.8%66.8%0.0 ptsna0.1 ptsna
Monthly hours worked in all jobs 1,920 million 1,871 million-49 million-2.5%13 million0.7%

Estimates of changes throughout this release are calculated using un-rounded level estimates and may be different from, but are more accurate than, movements obtained from the rounded level estimates.

For definitions of labour statistics used in this publication, please refer to Glossary of Labour Force, Australia methodology.

Survey impacts and changes

Articles

The ABS has included Insights into job attachment, January 2024, given the interest in understanding the number of people in January waiting to start or return to a job.

The ABS has also included Improvements to Labour Force estimation method to provide further information on the upcoming improvements to the Labour Force estimation method, which will be implemented in the February 2024 release on 21 March 2024. The article also includes information on the expected extent of revisions from this changes.

For a list of previously published LFS articles, see the Article archive.

Impacts from floods in Queensland

Upcoming improvements to the Labour Force estimation method in early 2024

New Labour Force Survey sample phase-in

Update on enhanced regional labour market data

Survey response and timeline

Unemployment

In trend terms, in January 2024:

  • unemployment rate remained at 3.9%.
  • unemployed people increased by 5,200 to 581,600. 
  • youth unemployment rate remained at 9.4%.

Large month-to-month changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in multiple trend breaks. The ABS recommends caution when using trend estimates published in spreadsheets in this release for this period. Information on trend breaks can be found in Labour Force, Australia methodology, January  2024.

Employment

In trend terms, in January 2024, employment increased by 7,400 people (0.1%) to 14,221,900 people.

Flows into and out of employment

Large month-to-month changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in multiple trend breaks. The ABS recommends caution when using trend estimates published in spreadsheets in this release for this period. Information on trend breaks can be found in Labour Force, Australia methodology, January 2024.

Full-time and part-time employment

In trend terms, in January 2024:

  • full-time employment decreased by 4,600 to 9,825,300 people, and part-time employment increased by 12,000 to 4,396,600 people.
  • part-time share of employment was 30.9%.

 

Employment-to-population ratio

In trend terms, in January 2024, the employment-to-population ratio deceased to 64.1%.

The employment-to-population ratio provides a measure of employment relative to the size of the population.

Large month-to-month changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in multiple trend breaks. The ABS recommends caution when using trend estimates published in spreadsheets in this release for this period. Information on trend breaks can be found in Labour Force, Australia methodology, January 2024.

Hours worked

In trend terms, in January 2024, monthly hours worked in all jobs decreased by 9.6 million hours (-0.5%) to 1,906 million hours.

Large month-to-month changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in multiple trend breaks. The ABS recommends caution when using trend estimates published in spreadsheets in this release for this period. Information on trend breaks can be found in Labour Force, Australia methodology, January 2024.

Participation

In trend terms, in January 2024, the participation rate:

  • decreased to 66.8%.
  • decreased to 71.1% for men and remained at 62.6% for women.

Large month-to-month changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in multiple trend breaks. The ABS recommends caution when using trend estimates published in spreadsheets in this release for this period. Information on trend breaks can be found in Labour Force, Australia methodology, January 2024.

Underemployment

In trend terms, in January 2024:

  • underemployment rate increased to 6.6%.
  • underutilisation rate increased to 10.5%.

Large month-to-month changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in multiple trend breaks. The ABS recommends caution when using trend estimates published in spreadsheets in this release for this period. Information on trend breaks can be found in Labour Force, Australia methodology, January 2024.

States and Territories

January 2024 - Trend
New South WalesVictoriaQueenslandSouth AustraliaWestern AustraliaTasmaniaNorthern TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
Employed people4,420,9003,689,3002,885,100948,6001,591,200285,000140,100266,20014,221,900
Employed people - monthly change0.1%0.0%0.2%-0.2%0.2%-0.2%0.4%-0.3%0.1%
Employment to population ratio63.7%64.6%63.8%61.1%66.7%59.2%70.8%69.3%64.1%
Employment to population ratio - monthly change-0.1 pts-0.1 pts0.0 pts-0.2 pts-0.1 pts-0.2 pts0.2 pts-0.4 pts-0.1 pts
Unemployment rate3.7%4.0%4.3%3.9%4.0%4.2%4.4%3.9%3.9%
Unemployment rate - monthly change0.1 pts0.0 pts0.0 pts0.1 pts0.1 pts0.0 pts0.1 pts0.1 pts0.0 pts
Underemployment rate6.5%6.8%6.9%7.6%6.0%6.8%3.9%5.3%6.6%
Underemployment rate - monthly change0.0 pts0.1 pts0.0 pts0.0 pts0.0 pts0.1 pts-0.1 pts0.2 pts0.0 pts
Participation rate66.2%67.3%66.7%63.6%69.5%61.8%74.1%72.1%66.8%
Participation rate - monthly change0.0 pts-0.1 pts0.0 pts-0.2 pts0.0 pts-0.2 pts0.3 pts-0.3 pts-0.1 pts
January 2024 - Seasonally adjusted
New South WalesVictoriaQueenslandSouth AustraliaWestern AustraliaTasmaniaNorthern TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
Employed people4,397,1003,682,9002,885,300945,9001,587,300282,900140,800263,10014,201,300
Employed people - monthly change-0.5%0.1%0.1%0.0%0.0%-1.8%0.5%-1.5%0.0%
Employment to population ratio63.4%64.5%63.8%60.9%66.5%58.8%71.2%68.5%64.1%
Employment to population ratio - monthly change-0.5 pts-0.1 pts-0.1 pts-0.1 pts-0.2 pts-1.1 pts0.2 pts-1.2 pts-0.1 pts
Unemployment rate4.1%3.9%4.2%4.0%4.2%4.5%3.9%4.3%4.1%
Unemployment rate - monthly change0.6 pts-0.1 pts-0.1 pts0.1 pts0.3 pts0.9 pts-0.6 pts0.4 pts0.1 pts
Underemployment rate6.6%7.0%6.8%7.7%6.0%6.7%3.4%5.5%6.6%
Underemployment rate - monthly change0.0 pts0.8 pts-0.5 pts0.1 pts-0.3 pts-0.3 pts-1.0 pts0.5 pts0.1 pts
Participation rate66.1%67.2%66.6%63.4%69.4%61.6%74.1%71.5%66.8%
Participation rate - monthly change0.0 pts-0.2 pts-0.1 pts-0.1 pts0.0 pts-0.6 pts-0.2 pts-1.0 pts0.0 pts

Historical charts

Historical charts for employed, unemployed, unemployment rate and participation rate from August 1966 to January 2024