Jobs down, hours down, but jobs are really up
Employment figures for December showed unemployment up a fraction – from 5.3% to 5.4% – and the number of employed people decreased by 5,500. However, jobs rose in November last year; over two months, jobs were up overall by 11,600.
The report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows a decrease in work hours of 1.1 million, which analysts suggest is the result of employers cutting the hours of full-time workers to improve productivity, according to The Australian Financial Review.
Kath Walters
Kath Walters is the editor of LeadingCompany and an award-winning journalist of 15 years’ experience. Kath was previously a senior writer and editor at BRW magazine covering management, strategy, finance, entrepreneurship and venture capital across all industry sectors. In 2006, Kath won the Citibank Award for Excellence in Journalism (General Business). Follow her on Twitter @KathWalters
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