Australia's unemployment rate
Unemployment rate, Australia · Australian Bureau of Statistics · September 2026
Australia's unemployment rate 4.7% in September 2026, unchanged on the month and up 0.3 percentage points over the year.
Next release · Thu 19 Nov 2026, 11:30 AEDT · Labour Force
What the numbers say
Australia's unemployment rate was 4.7% in September 2026, unchanged on the month from 4.7% in August 2026 and up 0.3 percentage points over the year from September 2025. The monthly series, published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, starts in February 1978. Its peak was 11.2% in December 1992, the highest since the series began in February 1978, and the latest reading is 6.5 percentage points below the peak. Its low was 3.4% in October 2022, the lowest since the series began in February 1978.
What is Australia's unemployment rate?
Australia's unemployment rate was 4.7% in September 2026. That was unchanged on the month from 4.7% in August 2026.
Is unemployment in Australia going up or down?
Australia's unemployment rate was unchanged on the month in September 2026, at 4.7%. Over the year from September 2025 to September 2026 it was up 0.3 percentage points.
What is Australia's unemployment rate, as distinct from underemployment?
Australia's unemployment rate was 4.7% in September 2026. This page shows the Australia unemployment rate only and gives no underemployment figures.
What is Australia's national unemployment rate, which includes Canberra?
Australia's national unemployment rate was 4.7% in September 2026. This page gives the Australia unemployment rate as a single national figure and shows no separate figure for Canberra.
Written from the figures on this page · updated 19 October 2026
Recent months
| Month | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 4.7% | final |
| August 2026 | 4.7% | final |
| July 2026 | 4.5% | final |
| June 2026 | 4.4% | final |
| May 2026 | 4.4% | final |
| April 2026 | 4.5% | final |
| March 2026 | 4.3% | final |
| February 2026 | 4.3% | final |
Full series · 584 months · CSV · JSON
The Australia unemployment rate measures the share of people in the labour force who are without work and actively looking for it, expressed as a percentage. It is published monthly by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as part of its labour force statistics, and the series on this page runs from February 1978 to September 2026, with the latest reading at 4.7%. The monthly series is released under CC BY 4.0.
Being a rate, it describes only the unemployed as a proportion of the labour force; it does not count people outside the labour force, such as those neither employed nor looking for work, and it does not describe underemployment among those already in a job.
Related
Source
- α
- Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS release pages (CPI, WPI, labour force, lending), retrieved 15 October 2026. CC BY 4.0.
- β
- Computed by Numbra from α.