Australia’s National Unemployment Rate Rises to 18-month High Amid Downturn

The Australian labour market is loosening as the economy navigates through difficult waters.

A homeless man waits for charity in the rain in central Sydney, Australia, on May 29, 2020. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Australia’s unemployment rate has risen to an 18-month high of 1.5 percent in November, up by 0.1 percentage points from 3.8 percent in October, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS.)

Bjorn Jarvis, ABS head of labour statistics, suggests the labour market is starting to loosen after a prolonged period of stable employment.