Key Statistics: In terms of trends, in July 2024: The unemployment rate rose to 4.2%. The participation rate rose to 67.1%. The number of people in employment rose to 14,462,100. The employment-to-population ratio rose to 64.3%. The unemployment rate remained at 6.4%. Monthly hours worked rose to 1,960 million.
In seasonally adjusted terms, in July 2024: The unemployment rate rose to 4.2%. The participation rate rose to 67.1%. The number of people in employment rose to 14,469,600. The employment-to-population ratio rose to 64.3%. The unemployment rate fell to 6.3%. Monthly hours worked rose to 1,961 million. The number of full-time workers rose by 60,500 to 10,010,600. The number of part-time workers decreased by 2,300 to 4,459,000.
Unemployment trend, July 2024: The unemployment rate rose to 4.2%. The number of unemployed increased by 9,500 to 627,900. The youth unemployment rate remained at 9.7%.
Employment trend, July 2024: Employment rose by 47,800 (0.3%) to 14,462,100.
The results of the Labour Force Survey are published in three stages.
1. Data tables for key indicators are published in this release
2. Additional more detailed data tables and pivot tables are published in Labour Force, Australia, detailed one week after this first release
3. Precise longitudinal labour force data are released in the ABS Data Lab on a monthly basis, one day after the release
Labour Force, Australia and key estimates of employment, unemployment, underemployment, participation and working hours from the monthly Labour Force Survey
Employment: In terms of trend, in July 2024, employment rose by 47,800 people (0.3%) to 14,462,100 people.
Full-time and part-time employment In terms of trends, in July 2024:
The number of full-time workers increased by 40,900 to 9,996,500 people, and the number of part-time workers increased by 7,000 to 4,465,600 people. The share of part-time employment was 30.9%.
Employment-to-population ratio In terms of trend, the employment-to-population ratio is expected to rise to 64.3% in July 2024. The employment-to-population ratio provides a measure of employment relative to the size of the population.
Employment-to-population ratio: Significant month-to-month variations have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in multiple discontinuities in the trend. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recommends caution when using the trend estimates published in the data tables in this release for this period. Information on discontinuities in the trend can be found in the Australian Labour Force Methodology, July 2024.
Working hours: In terms of trend, in July 2024, monthly working hours in all occupations increased by 3.2 million hours (0.2%) to 1,960 million hours.
In terms of trend, in July 2024, the participation rate: rose to 67.1%. It rose to 71.2% for men and to 63.1% for women.
Labour shortages by trends, July 2024: The unemployment rate remained at 6.4%. The full utilisation rate fell to 10.5%.
Historical charts of employed and unemployed, unemployment rate and participation rate from August 1966 to July 2024 and historical labour force estimates of employment, unemployment rate and participation rate from the quarterly and monthly historical Labour Force Survey.
Prior to 1978, the historical Labour Force Survey data was collected quarterly; the current Labour Force Survey is collected monthly.
States and territories: In addition to the analysis across the entire sample, the Australian Bureau of Statistics also conducts a similar analysis of the respondent sample in each state and territory each month, and where there is significant change users should be aware
Labour Force Survey sample image
Sample composition and rotation: A Labor Force Survey sample can be thought of as consisting of eight subsamples (rotation cohorts), with each subsample remaining in the survey for eight months, with one cohort exiting each month and being replaced by a new cohort entering. Since seven-eighths of the sample is common from month to month, changes in estimates reflect real changes in the labor market, not changes in the sample. The replacement sample is usually selected from the same geographic areas as the outgoing sample, as part of a representative sampling approach. The sample consists of three components:
The matched cohort sample (people who responded in the current month and the previous month)
The unmatched cohort sample (people who responded in the current month but did not respond in the previous month, or vice versa)
The incoming rotation cohort (replacing people who rotated)
The matched cohort sample describes the change observed between the same respondents in the current month and the previous month, while the other two components reflect differences in the overall labor force status of different groups of people. While rotation groups are designed to be representative of the population, outgoing and incoming rotation groups will always have slightly different characteristics, as they reflect different households and individuals. The survey design, including weighting and estimation processes, ensures that these differences are generally relatively minor and do not affect the representativeness and estimates of the survey. The monthly estimates are designed to be representative, regardless of the relative contribution of the three sample components. The contributions of the three sample components to the original estimates of employed, unemployed and non-participating in the labour force are shown in the Contribution of sample components to estimates data table.
