LABOUR FORCE


CONTENTS

Employed persons

Unemployment

Participation rate


EMPLOYED PERSONS

In trend terms, the total number of persons employed in South Australia has remained relatively stable over the last two months with 794,100 employed in July 2009. The total number of persons employed in Australia in July 2009 was 10,778,300, a decrease of 800 on the number employed in June 2009 (10,779,100).

The number of males employed full-time in South Australia in July 2009 was 344,600 (in trend terms), a decrease from 347,500 in June 2009. The number of females employed full-time in South Australia increased from 186,700 in June 2009 to 186,900 in July 2009.


UNEMPLOYMENT

The trend estimate unemployment rate for South Australia was 5.5% in July 2009. Australia's unemployment rate increased slightly from 5.8% in June 2009 to 5.9% in July 2009. For the third consecutive month South Australia's trend unemployment rate is below the national rate.

For South Australia, the trend unemployment rate for males remained steady at 6.2% in July 2009. The trend unemployment rate for females in South Australia decreased slightly from 4.8% in June 2009 to 4.7% in July 2009, the seventh consecutive monthly decline.

PARTICIPATION RATE

The trend estimate of the participation rate for South Australia fell slightly to 63.4% in July 2009. Australia's trend participation rate also fell slightly, to 65.3%.

For South Australia, the trend participation rate for males dropped slightly from 69.2% in June 2009 to 69.1% in July 2009 continuing the decline that began in October 2008. The Australian participation rate for males remained steady at 72.2%. The participation rate for South Australian females also remained steady between June and July 2009 (58.0%). The Australian female participation rate decreased slightly to 58.7% in July 2009 after holding steady at 58.8% for the previous five months.