Drop in PartTime Jobs

154,000 to 14,276,000, driven by a 210,000 drop in part-time jobs.

Australia’s unemployment rate surged to 9.7% in December 2024, marking the highest level in fve months, as overall employment dropped by 150,000 jobs, according to the latest fgures from Roy Morgan Research. The increase refects signifcant losses in part-time employment following the conclusion of the Black Friday sales period.

Key Figures from December 2024

• Unemployment:

Increased by 180,000 people to 1,542,000, representing 9.7% of the workforce, up from 8.6% in November.

• Employment: Total employment fell by

• Full-Time

Employment: Increased by 56,000, reaching 9,323,000.

• Under-Employment: Rose by 132,000 to a record-high 1,676,000 (10.6% of the workforce).

• Total Unemployed and Under-Employed: Climbed to 3.22 million Australians (20.3% of the workforce), the highest rate since February 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of Part-Time Job Losses

The sharp decline in part-time employment, attributed to the seasonal downturn following November’s Black Friday shopping surge, signifcantly