Labour force figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that seasonally adjusted employment rose by 29,100 in June 2021, causing the unemployment rate to fall to 4.9 per cent.

It was the eighth consecutive monthly fall in the unemployment rate.

Employment has now increased by 285,100 in 2021, the largest increase in the first six months of a calendar year on record, and is 159,400 (or 1.2 per cent) above its pre-COVID level in March 2020.

Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, Stuart Robert, said the figures were at the upper end of market expectations, with employment now at a record high of 13,154,200.

“The rise in employment over the month was due, entirely, to a robust increase in full-time employment, up by 51,600 (or 0.6 per cent) in June, to a record high of 9,016,800,” he said. “Full-time employment is now 151,700 (or 1.7 per cent) higher than it was in March 2020.”

“While Australia’s labour market rebound from the pandemic has beaten even the most optimistic of expectations, the Government remains acutely aware that 679,100 Australians remain out of work, and that the risk of ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 in the months ahead present a degree of uncertainty. Recent lockdowns are expected to have an impact on employment over coming months.”

He said the Government’s 2021-22 Budget measures have been designed to cement Australia’s economic recovery and secure the country’s prosperity.