Aussie jobless rate falls to 5.7% in March, a 2 1/2 year low

Sydney

AUSTRALIA'S jobless rate unexpectedly fell to its lowest level in two-and- a-half years in March, reflecting a lift in business confidence and signalling that the central bank is unlikely to ease policy in the near-term.

The report showed unemployment fell to 5.7 per cent, the lowest since September 2013, offering further evidence that record-low interest rates are aiding a revival in Australian industries such as construction, tourism and education as a resource boom winds down.