Australia jobless rate dips to four-month low as full-time work falters

[SYDNEY] Australia's jobless rate unexpectedly fell to its lowest in four months in April but the number of people with full-time work declined - a mixed report that augurs poorly for a much-needed revival in wage growth and inflation.

The unemployment rate slipped to 5.7 per cent, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday, compared with analysts'expectations for a steady 5.9 per cent.

The 37,400-strong jump in jobs boosted the Australian dollar which rose a third of a US cent to a two-week high.

However, all of the increase in job numbers came from part-time employment which soared 49,000 while full-time employment fell by 11,600, the data showed.

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has repeatedly expressed worries about a "somewhat mixed" labour market. The minutes of its May policy meeting showed that board members had an in-depth discussion about the employment, including the increasing share of part-time work.

The trend towards more part-time jobs is one reason wages are growing at a record low rate, undermining domestic consumption.

The RBA is constrained by the fear of spurring a debt binge in Australia's red-hot property market if it lowered interest rates from the current record-low 1.50 per cent. It has left rates unchanged since it last eased in August 2016.

REUTERS