November Aussie jobless rate hits 12-year high

Sydney

AUSTRALIA'S unemployment rate reached a 12-year high in November, data showed on Thursday, as more people looked for jobs in a softening economy hurt by falling commodity prices and weak Chinese demand.

Unemployment edged up to 6.3 per cent as 42,700 jobs were added to the economy, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said. The figure is up from 5.8 per cent last November. Full-time positions increased by 1,800 as part-time employment soared 40,800, with the data slightly stronger than economists' expectations of 15,000 jobs created.