Australia's labour market softened in April, with the unemployment rate rising to 4.5 per cent, with female job losses driving the lift.
The number of employed people fell by 19,000 over the month, while 33,000 more Australians were counted as unemployed – a larger-than-usual increase for April, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The result was driven primarily by a sharp fall in female employment, with full-time roles down 19,000 and part-time down 13,000. It marks the first decline in female employment since August 2025. Male employment, by contrast, improved across both full-time and part-time categories.
Among those newly unemployed, people seeking part-time work accounted for the larger share of the rise, with 22,000 additional part-time jobseekers recorded alongside 11,000 more looking for full-time work.
One bright spot: despite the employment dip, total hours worked rose by 15.8 million hours over the month, pushing hours worked per person up 0.9 per cent. This suggests that those in jobs are working more, even as headcount fell.
The trend unemployment rate – which smooths out monthly volatility – held steady at 4.3 per cent, with trend employment and hours worked both continuing to grow, up 0.2 and 0.3 per cent respectively.
The underemployment rate eased slightly, down 0.1 percentage points to 5.8 per cent.
For fashion and retail businesses, the figures offer a mixed picture. The tick up in unemployment and the retreat in female workforce participation – a key consumer segment – may weigh on discretionary spending in the months ahead, even as the trend data suggests the broader labour market remains relatively stable.