KPL
(KPL/Xinhua) Australia's unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1 percent in January, according to official data released on Thursday.
The latest monthly labor force data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed that the number of Australians employed on a full-time basis increased by 50,500 between December and January, which was partially offset by a fall in part-time employment of 32,700 people.
The official unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent in January after it fell from 4.3 percent from November to December.
Economists were widely expecting the unemployment rate to rise slightly to 4.2 percent in January, according to local media.
The ABS said that the participation rate, which measures the proportion of the working-age population who are either employed or actively looking for work, was 66.7 percent in January compared to a record-high 67.3 percent recorded 12 months earlier.
The total number of hours worked by Australians increased by 0.6 percent between December and January to 2.01 billion.
KPL
