CANBERRA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Australia's unemployment rate remained steady in August, official figures have revealed.
According to data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Thursday, the official unemployment rate in August was 4.2 percent - the same as in July.
The number of employed people in Australia grew by 47,500 between July and August, the ABS said, with the economy adding 50,600 part-time positions in that period, while the number of full-time positions fell by 3,100.
The participation rate, which measures the proportion of the working-age population who are either employed or actively looking for work, remained at a record-high 67.1 percent.
The employment-to-population ratio increased from 64.2 percent in July to 64.3 percent in August - just below the record-high of 64.4 percent set in November 2023.
The total number of hours worked by Australians increased by 0.4 percent between July and August.
"The proportion of people working reduced hours because they were sick continues to be above pre-pandemic levels," Kate Lamb, head of labor statistics at the ABS, said in a statement.
"However, the proportion of people working fewer hours than usual due to economic reasons, such as no work or less work available, is below pre-pandemic levels, which points to continued relative tightness in the labor market."
The underemployment rate - the measure of the proportion of workers who are employed but are looking for additional hours - rose from 6.3 percent in July to 6.5 percent in August but remained 2.2 percentage points lower than March 2020. ■
