Unemployment rate up as 29,500 jobs lost

LABOUR FORCE DATA FOR SEPTEMBER:

* Unemployment rate – 6.9 per cent versus 6.8 per cent in August

* Underemployment rate (employed people seeking additional work) – 11.4 per cent versus 11.3 per cent

* Employment fell 29,500

* Full-time fell 20,100

* Part-time fell 9400

* Participation rate (people working or looking for work): 64.8 per cent versus 64.9 per cent

STATE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES

NSW – 7.2 per cent in vs 6.7 per cent in July

Vic – 6.7 per cent vs 7.1 per cent

Qld – 7.7 per cent vs 7.4 per cent

SA – 7.1 per cent vs 8.1 per cent

WA – 6.7 per cent vs 7.0 per cent

Tas – 7.6 per cent vs 6.4 per cent

NT – 4.8 per cent vs 4.2 per cent

ACT – 3.8 per cent vs 4.0 per cent

(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics)