CANBERRA, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Australia's unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.5 percent in July, according to official data released on Thursday, defying economists' expectations that it would hold at 4.4 percent.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said that employment fell by 15,800 people between June and July while the number of unemployed people rose by 4,200, driving the uptick.
It matches the 4.5 percent figure reported in April for the equal-highest unemployment rate since November 2021.
The Australian Associated Press reported that economists were expecting the unemployment rate to remain steady in July at 4.4 percent.
Employment among males fell by 11,000 people in July compared to a fall of 5,000 among females, according to Sean Crick, head of labor statistics at the ABS.
The number of females employed part-time fell by 22,000 people month-to-month, which was partially offset by a 17,000 rise in the number of women employed full-time, according to the ABS.
The total number of hours worked by Australians declined by 0.6 percent in July to about 1.99 billion.
The participation rate, which measures the proportion of the working-age population who are either employed or actively looking for work, fell from 67 percent in June to 66.9 percent in July. ■
