Australia’s unemployment rate steady at 4.2% but Omicron hits hours worked

Australian unemployment held steady at 13-year low of 4.2% in January. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Australia’s jobless rate hovered at 13-year lows last month even as disruptions from the Omicron Covid strain kept staff at home, slashing hours worked by many.

The country’s unemployment rate was 4.2% in January, unchanged from December when the measure sank to a 13-year low, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday. The result was in line with market economist forecasts.