Australian unemployment drops to 9.4% in June – before three States enforce COVID lockdowns

Latest Roy Morgan employment series data shows 1.39 million Australians were unemployed in June, down 99,000 on May, for an unemployment rate of 9.4%, while under-employment was virtually unchanged at 8.5% (1.26 million).

• A record high 13.37 million Australians were employed in June:
  
  Australian employment increased by 305,000 to a record high of 13,374,000 in June including a record high 8,826,000 workers employed full-time, an increase of 147,000 from May and the eighth straight monthly increase. There was also an increase in part-time employment, up by 158,000 to 4,548,000.

• Unemployment dropped in June with far fewer Australians looking for part-time work:
  
  1,394,000 Australians were unemployed (9.4% of the workforce), down 99,000 from May. Driving the fall was far fewer people looking for part-time work (down 111,000 to 824,000) but slightly more people looking for full-time work (up 12,000 to 570,000).

• The workforce increased to a record high above 14.7 million in June:
  
  The workforce in June was 14,768,000 – comprised of 13,374,000 employed Australians (an increase of 305,000) and 1,394,000 unemployed Australians looking for work (up 99,000).

Roy Morgan’s unemployment figure of 9.4% for June is more than 4% points higher than the current ABS estimate for May 2021 of 5.1%. However, the ABS figure for May counts as employed an additional 58,000 Australians who were working zero hours for ‘economic reasons’. If these non-workers are added back the ABS unemployment estimate for May increases to 759,000 (5.5%). The ABS also claims there are nearly 1.03 million Australians (7.4%) under-employed for a total of almost 1.8 million unemployed or under-employed (12.9% of the workforce).

• Under-employment was virtually unchanged in June:
  
  In addition to those who were unemployed, 1.26 million Australians (8.5% of the workforce) were under-employed – working part-time but looking for more work. This was unchanged from May.
  
  In total 2.65 million Australians (17.9% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in June, a drop of 98,000 on May. The decrease was driven by the fall in unemployment.

Compared to February 2020, before the nation-wide lockdown was implemented, in June 2021 there were over 200,000 more Australians either unemployed or under-employed (+2.3% points) even though overall employment (13,374,000) is now higher than it was pre-COVID-19 (12,913,000).

Michele Levine, CEO Roy Morgan, says the employment trends prior to the recent lockdowns in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory were good with total employment hitting a record high above 13.3 million in June:

Roy Morgan Unemployment & Under-employment (2019-2021)

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2019 – June 2021. Average monthly interviews 5,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

This Roy Morgan survey on Australia’s unemployment and ‘under-employed’* is based on weekly interviews of 764,684 Australians aged 14 and over between January 2007 and June 2021 and includes 6,051 telephone and online interviews in June 2021. *The ‘under-employed’ are those people who are in part-time work or freelancers who are looking for more work.

Contact Roy Morgan to learn more about Australia’s unemployed and under-employed; who and where they are, and the challenges they face as they search for employment opportunities.

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Roy Morgan Unemployed and ‘Under-employed’* Estimates

*Workforce includes those employed and those looking for work – the unemployed.

Roy Morgan Research cf. ABS Unemployment Estimates

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source October 2006 – June 2021. Average monthly interviews 4,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

Roy Morgan Research cf. ABS Unemployment Estimates

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2000 – June 2021. Average monthly interviews 4,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source April 1995 – June 2021. Average monthly interviews 4,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.