Australia jobless rate hits 4.7% highest in nearly 5 years
Business
Australia's jobless rate reached 4.7% in September, the highest in nearly five years.
Even though there were more full-time jobs, a big drop in part-time work meant overall jobs fell by 39,300 jobs.
Rising living costs and higher interest rates are making things tough for both workers and job seekers.
Australia underemployment ticks up to 6.3%
The stats agency also bumped August's unemployment number up to match September's.
With underemployment ticking up to 6.3%, more people are now looking for extra work hours.
All this data is key for the Reserve Bank as it decides on November 3 whether to raise interest rates again, potentially the fifth hike this year, as it tries to get inflation under control without hurting the job market too much.