Media Release - Employment figures show more Australians in work than ever before, despite global conditions
Date published :
16
February
2012
The Hon Bill Shorten MP
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation
Media Release
16 Feb 2012
Labour force figures released today by the Australian Bureau of
Statistics show more Australians have a job than ever before,
reflecting the underlying strength and resilience of the Australian
labour market and the strong fundamentals in the Australian
economy. While particular sectors are clearly experiencing
pressures, employment surged by 46,300 in January to stand at a
record high of 11,463,900. Today's result was driven by a 12,300
increase in full-time employment and a 34,000 increase in part-time
employment in the month of January. Encouragingly, the unemployment
rate fell by 0.1 percentage points in January to 5.1 per cent, even
as the participation rate rose by 0.1 percentage points to 65.3 per
cent. Today's figures also show that in the 12 months since January
2011, employment has risen by 37,500. The Minister for Employment
and Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten, welcomed today's positive
results which underscore the success of Labor's economic management
in the face of a significant downturn in Europe, and demonstrates
this Government's commitment to keep the nation working.
Read full media release (PDF 85KB)
Return to the News