Australian unemployment rate falls to 4.4% in May

• The Australian unemployment rate fell to 4.4% in May as employment grew by 40,000 people.
• The workforce expanded with part-time roles driving the gains while the total number of unemployed persons fell by 18,000.
• The data reflects a normalisation of working hours and a consistent trend of employment growth since early 2025.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that the national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.4% in May.

This decline followed a period where higher proportions of unemployed people were waiting to start new positions.

“The backlog of people waiting to start a job has eased in May,” said ABS Head of Labour Statistics Sean Crick.

Total employment increased by 40,000 people, while monthly hours worked fell by 1.1% across the nation.

Following the announcement, the S&P/ASX 200 index was unchanged at 7,800 points.

Trend employment has maintained a steady monthly growth rate of 0.1% since January 2025.

The statistics agency confirmed the monthly data is accurate while it undergoes an ongoing survey modernisation process.