Labour force November 2017

Nationally, media analysis of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Labour Force Survey (LFS) is concentrated on seasonally adjusted data. Due to the high standard errors and volatile nature of seasonally adjusted data for the Northern Territory LFS, the ABS only publishes data in original and trend terms. The following analysis is based on trend series data unless stated otherwise.

Summary

Trend resident employment in the Territory increased by 0.3 per cent in November 2017. The Territory’s trend unemployment rate was 4.6 per cent in the month, equal with New South Wales. The trend participation rate was 75.3 per cent in the month, the highest of all jurisdictions.

Employment

In November 2017, trend resident employment in the Territory increased by 0.3 per cent to 134 912 persons, compared to the previous month.

The Territory recorded the second highest monthly result of the jurisdictions equal with Queensland. The monthly change in trend resident employment ranged from a decrease of 0.1 per cent in Tasmania to 0.6 per cent in the Australian Capital Territory. South Australia remained flat. Nationally, trend employment growth was 0.2 per cent.

Annually, trend resident employment decreased by 2.1 per cent in the Territory compared to November 2016, reporting the only annual decline of the jurisdictions. Nationally, trend employment grew by 3.1 per cent over the same period (Chart 1).

In the year to November 2017, Territory employment in original terms, grew by 1.8 per cent. Year on year employment growth ranged from increases of 0.9 per cent in Western Australia to 3.5 per cent in Victoria. Nationally, year on year employment grew by 2.0 per cent.

Unemployment

*ppt = percentage point

The Territory’s monthly trend unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 4.6 per cent in the month (Chart 2). This was the second equal lowest trend unemployment rate of the jurisdictions with the monthly unemployment rate ranging from 3.8 per cent in the Australian Capital Territory to 6.2 per cent in Western Australia. Nationally, the monthly trend unemployment rate remained at 5.4 per cent.

Labour force participation

*ppt = percentage points

The trend participation rate in the Territory increased by 0.4 percentage points to 75.3 per cent. This remains the highest monthly trend participation rate of the jurisdictions and above the national average of 65.4 per cent (Chart 3).