MEDIA RELEASE
12 November 2015	Embargo: 11:30 am (Canberra Time)	125/2015

Trend employment has increased by 260,500 since October 2014, contributing to an increased employment to population ratio over the year from 60.6 per cent to 61.1 per cent. The trend unemployment rate has remained relatively stable over the year, decreasing from 6.2 per cent to 6.1 per cent.

The trend series smooth the more volatile seasonally adjusted estimates. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October 2015 was 5.9 per cent (down 0.3 percentage points) and the labour force participation rate was 65.0 per cent (up 0.1 percentage points).

The ABS reported the number of people employed increased by 58,600 to 11,838,200 in October 2015 (seasonally adjusted). The increase in employment was driven by increases in male full-time employment (up 33,500) and female part-time employment (up 24,000).

The ABS seasonally adjusted monthly hours worked in all jobs series increased in October 2015, up 19.1 million hours (1.2 per cent) to 1,660.4 million hours.

The seasonally adjusted number of people unemployed decreased by 33,400 to 739,500 in October 2015, the ABS reported.

More details are in the October 2015 issue of Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0), as well as the upcoming October 2015 issue of Labour Force, Australia, Detailed (cat. no. 6291.0.55.001) due for release on November 19. These publications are available for free download (after release) from the ABS website - www.abs.gov.au


Media note:

• When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
• Media requests and interviews - contact the ABS Communications Section on 1300 175 070.
• The ABS produces trend estimates to provide a more reliable indicator of the underlying behaviour of the Labour Force series. Trend estimates were introduced into the Labour Force series in the mid 1980's and are available back to February 1978. Trend estimates are considered the best indicators of the underlying behaviour in the labour market. See paragraphs 28 to 37 of the Explanatory Notes in Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0).