MEDIA RELEASE
13 March 2014	Embargo: 11.30 am (Canberra time)	31/2014
Australia's unemployment rate at 6.0 per cent in February 2014

Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points but the rounded estimate remained at 6.0 per cent in February, as announced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.

The ABS reported the number of people employed increased by 47,300 to 11,530,800 in February. The increase in employment was due to increased full-time employment, up 80,500 people to 8,049,900, offset by decreased part-time employment, down 33,300 to 3,480,900. The increase in total employment was driven by increases in male and female full-time employment and male part-time employment.

The number of people unemployed increased by 9,800 people to 742,200 in February, the ABS reported.

The ABS monthly seasonally adjusted aggregate hours worked series decreased in February, down 14.0 million hours to 1,608.9 million hours.

The ABS reported the seasonally adjusted labour force participation rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 64.8 per cent in February.

The seasonally adjusted underemployment rate was 7.4 per cent in February 2014. Combined with the unemployment rate of 6.0 per cent, the latest seasonally adjusted estimate of total labour force underutilisation was 13.5 per cent in February, based on unrounded estimates.

More details are in the February 2014 issue of Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0), as well as the upcoming February 2014 issues of Labour Force, Australia, Detailed (cat. no. 6291.0.55.001) and Labour Force, Australia, Quarterly (cat. no. 6291.0.55.003), due for release next week on March 20. These publications are available for free download (after release) from the ABS website - www.abs.gov.au.


Media note:
When reporting ABS data, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or ABS) must be attributed as the source.