Unemployment Rate in Australia increased to 4.30 percent in February from 4.10 percent in January of 2026. This dataset provides - Australia Unemployment Rate at 5.8% in December - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In December 2025, the unemployment rate in Australia was 4.1 percent, lower than the pre-COVID-19 unemployment rate of around five percent. During 2020, the unemployment rate in Australia spiked to 7.6 percent amidst the country's second coronavirus wave. Unemployment and underemployment rates around the country In the middle of 2025, unemployment around the country hovered between 3.3 and 7.5 percent, with Tasmania leading with the highest rate of people eligible to work jobs not currently employed. New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, reported the third lowest rate of unemployment at the time. Underemployment, however, was highest in Tasmania, with the country reporting a national underemployment rate of over six percent in June 2023. Some of the leading difficulties people in Australia reported as barriers to finding a job or more hours included too many other applicants for available jobs, and a lack of necessary training, qualifications, or experience. Leading industries for employment in Australia Australia’s employment landscape is made up of a wide range of jobs; however, it is dominated by the services sector, which covers a range of industries, including healthcare, education, tourism, and professional services. Healthcare and social assistance remain the country’s leading employment industry, accounting for approximately 16 percent of employed persons. Employment industries varied between males and females , with the construction industry the most popular employment industry for males in 2023, while close to one-quarter of employed females worked in the healthcare and social assistance field.

In June 2025, Tasmania had the highest unemployment rate among all states and territories in Australia with approximately 7.5 percent of those eligible to work jobs not in employment. Victoria had the second highest unemployment rate of 6.4 percent. Unemployment FiguresAustralian unemployment figures had remained relatively stable, hovering between four to six percent for some time before recently dropping to 4.03 percent in June 2024. Unemployment levels and the economy have regularly been a priority of the Australian government and unemployment remains a key political platform for the major parties during elections. However, long-term unemployment remains a concern, with the rate almost doubling between 2009 and 2019. Unemployment among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples  The employment outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders in Australia remain a key indicator for the ongoing inequality experienced by this population group. The figures remain high, especially among Aboriginal youths aged 15 to 24 years old, with almost one-fifth who are out of regular employment as of 2015. This meant that more than 25 thousand Aboriginal youths were out of work and struggling to find employment in that year.

The number of unemployed persons in Australia increased to 659.10 Thousand in February of 2026 from 624.20 Thousand in January of 2026. This dataset provides - Australia Unemployed Persons - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Australia Unemployment Rate: Victoria data was reported at 5.043 % in Feb 2026. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.670 % for Jan 2026. Australia Unemployment Rate: Victoria data is updated monthly, averaging 6.973 % from Feb 1978 (Median) to Feb 2026, with 577 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.171 % in Feb 1994 and a record low of 3.099 % in Jul 2022. Australia Unemployment Rate: Victoria data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G: Unemployment Rate. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

In 2024, the unemployment rate in Australia amounted to 4.02 percent. Between 1980 and 2024, the figure dropped by 2.11 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory. From 2024 to 2030, the rate will rise by 0.27 percentage points, showing an overall upward trend with periodic ups and downs.This indicator describes the unemployment rate, which can be defined by either the national definition, the ILO harmonized definition, or the OECD harmonized definition. The latter defines it as the number of unemployed people divided by the total labor force.

Monthly and long-term Australia Unemployment data: historical series and analyst forecasts curated by FocusEconomics.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Unemployment Rate Total: 15 Years or over for Australia (LRUNTTTTAUQ156S) from Q3 1966 to Q4 2025 about 15 years +, Australia, unemployment, and rate.

This dataset provides values for INITIAL JOBLESS CLAIMS reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Australia Unemployment Rate: Males data was reported at 4.870 % in Feb 2026. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.697 % for Jan 2026. Australia Unemployment Rate: Males data is updated monthly, averaging 7.530 % from Feb 1978 (Median) to Feb 2026, with 577 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.696 % in Feb 1993 and a record low of 3.144 % in Oct 2022. Australia Unemployment Rate: Males data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G: Unemployment Rate. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Unemployment Rate: Not Married: 35-44 Years data was reported at 4.716 % in Jan 2026. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.128 % for Dec 2025. Unemployment Rate: Not Married: 35-44 Years data is updated monthly, averaging 9.691 % from Feb 1978 (Median) to Jan 2026, with 576 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.450 % in Feb 1993 and a record low of 3.740 % in Dec 2022. Unemployment Rate: Not Married: 35-44 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G: Unemployment Rate: by Age, Sex and Status.

Graph and download economic data for Harmonized Unemployment Rate: All Persons for Australia (DISCONTINUED) (AUSURHARMADSMEI) from 1967 to 2011 about Australia, harmonized, unemployment, and rate.

Australia: Unemployment rate forecast: The latest value from 2030 is 4.45 percent, a decline from 4.47 percent in 2029. In comparison, the world average is 6.28 percent, based on data from 100 countries. Historically, the average for Australia from 1980 to 2030 is 6.34 percent. The minimum value, 3.7 percent, was reached in 2023 while the maximum of 10.88 percent was recorded in 1993.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Australia (SLUEM1524ZSAUS) from 1991 to 2025 about 15 to 24 years, Australia, unemployment, and rate.

Youth Unemployment Rate in Australia increased to 10.20 percent in February from 9.60 percent in January of 2026. This dataset provides - Australia Youth Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Unemployment Rate Total: From 15 to 64 Years for Australia (LRUN64TTAUM156N) from Feb 1978 to Dec 2025 about 15 to 64 years, Australia, unemployment, and rate.

This map shows the percentage of unemployed people in Australia. Data is available for Country, Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA), Local Government Area (LGA), Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1) and 2 (SA2), and State Suburb (SSC) boundaries.Data is from the General Community Profile from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 census. The General Community Profile is new for the 2016 Census. It replaces the 2011 Basic and Expanded Community Profiles and has been created by merging components of both these profiles. It contains a series of tables showing the characteristics of persons, families and dwellings in a selected geographic area. The data is based on place of usual residence (that is, where people usually live, rather than where they were counted on Census night). Community Profiles are excellent tools for researching, planning and analysing geographic areas for a number of social, economic and demographic characteristics.To see the full list of attributes available in this service, go to the "Data" tab, and choose "Fields" at the top right. Download the data here.Data notes:View the Readme files located in the DataPacks and GeoPackages zip files.To access the 2016 DataPacks samples, view the Community Profile, DataPack and TableBuilder Templates publication (cat no. 2079.0)Glossary terms and definitions of classifications can be found in the 2016 Census DictionaryMore information about Census data products is available in the QuickStats, Community Profiles and DataPacks user guide, Australia (Cat no. 2916.0)DataPacks and Geopackages for Western Australia State Electoral Divisions (WA SEDs) may not be correct and should not be used as per Corrections to 2016 Data. Data for these boundaries can be obtained using QuickStats or Census TableBuilder using a geographic recode and following these instructions on working with custom groups. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Unemployment Rate Total: From 25 to 54 Years for Australia (LRUN25TTAUM156S) from Feb 1978 to Dec 2025 about 25 to 54 years, Australia, unemployment, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Unemployment Rate Total: 15 Years or over for Australia (LRUNTTTTAUM156S) from Feb 1978 to Jan 2026 about 15 years +, Australia, unemployment, and rate.

Unemployment Rate: Not Married: Female: 30-34 Years data was reported at 3.099 % in Jan 2026. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.685 % for Dec 2025. Unemployment Rate: Not Married: Female: 30-34 Years data is updated monthly, averaging 9.974 % from Feb 1978 (Median) to Jan 2026, with 576 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.255 % in Feb 1984 and a record low of 2.317 % in Apr 2023. Unemployment Rate: Not Married: Female: 30-34 Years data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G: Unemployment Rate: by Age, Sex and Status.