Australian population increased by 1.57% meaning around 240,000 worker increase based on participation rate 65%.
However, workforce increase was only 91,500.
Australia is going backward. Most of the jobs created were part-time jobs.
Thingz is crook in Tallarook. Policy makers are confused?
One thing this exemplifies is that the unemployment numbers are rigged.
http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/breaking-news/unemployment-rises-to-58-i... Quote:Australian jobs growth last year was the weakest in three years, prompting concerns about inflation from economists.
The unemployment rate rose to 5.8 per cent in December, from 5.7 per cent in November, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.
The total number of people with jobs rose by 13,500 in the month, taking annual jobs growth to 91,500, the weakest result since 2013.
CommSec chief economist Craig James said, from the perspective of the labour market, 2016 could be classified as a mixed year.
"One that also confused policymakers - with employment growth was soft over the year but the unemployment rate kept sliding, eventually falling to three-year lows," he said in a note.
"It was clearly a year, where employers were managing their workforce (cost base) very closely due to a subdued economic environment. In effect, the labour market was largely marking time over the majority of 2016 but there are initial signs of a shift coming."
JP Morgan economist Ben Jarman said the fact that the unemployment rate had risen from the recent lows and was unchanged over the past six to 12 months broke the improving trend that was in play from late 2014 to late 2015.
"It also is a departure from the narrative embedded in the RBA's forecasts, which is that excess capacity will be worked off over time, pushing the jobless rate lower and facilitating a gradual pick-up in inflation," he said in a note.
"A stalling labour market recovery similarly lends weight to concerns that domestic demand is losing momentum, as flagged in the business surveys and in recent consumption data."