Employment rises by 64,800 in December

CANBERRA, AAP – LABOUR FORCE DATA FOR DECEMBER:

* Unemployment rate – 4.2 per cent versus 4.6 per cent in November

* Underemployment rate (employed people seeking additional work) – 6.6 per cent versus 7.5 per cent

* Employment – up 64,800

* Full-time positions – up 41,500

* Part-time employment – up 23,300

* Participation rate (people working or looking for work) – 66.1 per cent versus 66.1 per cent

* Monthly hours worked in all jobs – up 1.0 per cent or 18 million hours

STATE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES:

NSW – 4.0 per cent in October versus 4.6 per cent in November

VIC – 4.2 per cent versus 4.7 per cent

QLD – 4.7 per cent versus 4.8 per cent

SA – 3.9 per cent versus 4.6 per cent

WA – 3.4 per cent versus 3.8 per cent

TAS – 3.9 per cent versus 5.1 per cent

NT – 4.2 per cent versus 4.4 per cent

ACT – 4.5 per cent versus 3.8 per cent

(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics)