People aged 55-64 have made a big return to the labour force as rising demand for jobs keeps the unemployment rate above four percent.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, released today, show that the labour force participation for the 55-64 age group was up 0.8 percentage points to 70.6 percent over the past 12 months.
This was the highest participation increase of any age group. Participation refers to the proportion of people in work or looking for work.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 4.4 per cent in June.
ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick said there were an extra 76,000 jobs created in June, 2026, driven by a 47,000 person rise in part-time employment.
“Part of the growth in employment this month came from those who were waiting to start a job in May,” Mr Crick said.
“This represents a stronger June movement than has been observed in recent years.
“We also continued to see higher numbers of people remaining employed this June, following elevated levels in the recent few months.”
The underemployment rate (people who want more work hours) rose 0.2 percentage points to 6.5 percent in June.
“The number of part-time hours worked grew 1.2 percent this month, with full-time hours worked remaining flat,” Mr Crick said.
“Annually, employment rose 1.7 percent from June 2025, and hours worked grew 1.8 per cent.”
The full ABS report is here
