Australia hiring soars as Victoria lockdown lifts

Employment soared by 178,800 last month, defying economists’ expectations of a 27,500 decline, data from the statistics bureau showed yesterday.

SYDNEY: Australian employers unexpectedly added tens of thousands of jobs in October as Victoria’s tough Covid restrictions began to lift and the state’s workers returned to the labour force, while a recovery in the rest of the economy gathered pace.

Employment soared by 178,800 last month, defying economists’ expectations of a 27,500 decline, data from the statistics bureau showed yesterday. The jobless rate edged up to 7% from 6.9% in September as the participation rate jumped almost one percentage point to 65.8%.