EconomyAustralia edition
Australia's unemployment rate, 2018 to 2025: the ILO modelled estimates year by year
Australia's ILO modelled unemployment rate was 4.09% in 2025, the second annual rise in a row after a low of 3.67% in 2023.
- 20185.35%
- 20195.14%
- 20206.39%
- 20215.02%
- 20223.73%
- 20233.67%
- 20243.94%
- 20254.09%
What the latest annual figure shows
If you have noticed that jobs feel a little harder to find than a couple of years ago, the annual figures point the same way. Australia's unemployment rate was 4.09% of the labour force in 2025. That is up from 3.94% in 2024.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F8 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 4.09% · 2025 · World Bank
- F7 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 3.94% · 2024 · World Bank
These are ILO modelled estimates. They are annual figures, expressed as a percentage of the labour force, and each one covers a full calendar year.
Sources for this paragraph (1)
- F8 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 4.09% · 2025 · World Bank
The year-by-year timeline
In 2018 the rate was 5.35%. It eased to 5.14% in 2019.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F1 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 5.35% · 2018 · World Bank
- F2 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 5.14% · 2019 · World Bank
In 2020 it jumped to 6.39%, the highest point in this series. It came back down to 5.02% in 2021.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F3 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 6.39% · 2020 · World Bank
- F4 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 5.02% · 2021 · World Bank
The rate then fell sharply to 3.73% in 2022 and slipped further to 3.67% in 2023, the lowest point in the series.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F5 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 3.73% · 2022 · World Bank
- F6 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 3.67% · 2023 · World Bank
Since then it has risen twice: to 3.94% in 2024 and to 4.09% in 2025.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F7 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 3.94% · 2024 · World Bank
- F8 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 4.09% · 2025 · World Bank
How 2025 compares with earlier years
The 2025 rate of 4.09% is higher than the 3.67% recorded in 2023. It is still lower than every year from 2018 to 2021, when the rate ranged from 5.02% to 6.39%.
Sources for this paragraph (6)
- F8 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 4.09% · 2025 · World Bank
- F6 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 3.67% · 2023 · World Bank
- F1 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 5.35% · 2018 · World Bank
- F2 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 5.14% · 2019 · World Bank
- F3 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 6.39% · 2020 · World Bank
- F4 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 5.02% · 2021 · World Bank
There is also a more recent monthly figure. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.72% in September 2026. This is measured differently from the ILO modelled annual estimate, so the two numbers should not be read as a direct rise from 4.09% to 4.72%.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- C5 Australia unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) · 4.72% · 2026-09 · Australian Bureau of Statistics
- F8 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 4.09% · 2025 · World Bank
What it means for people living in Australia
For households, the annual figures show the job market has loosened slightly from its tightest point. In 2025, 4.09% of the labour force was unemployed, compared with 3.67% in 2023.
Sources for this paragraph (2)
- F8 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 4.09% · 2025 · World Bank
- F6 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 3.67% · 2023 · World Bank
That change comes alongside cost of living pressure measured in separate statistics. In August 2026, consumer prices were 4% higher than 12 months earlier, rents were up 3.6% and electricity prices were up 13.2% over the same 12 months. These figures do not show whether unemployment and prices are linked.
Sources for this paragraph (3)
- C1 Australia consumer price inflation (12-month change) · 4% · 2026-08 · Australian Bureau of Statistics
- C4 Australia rent prices (CPI, 12-month change) · 3.6% · 2026-08 · Australian Bureau of Statistics
- C2 Australia electricity price inflation (12-month change) · 13.2% · 2026-08 · Australian Bureau of Statistics
The wider economy grew 1.35% in 2025, according to the annual GDP figure.
Sources for this paragraph (1)
- C6 Australia GDP growth (annual %) · 1.35% · 2025 · World Bank
What the data does not tell us
The ILO figures are modelled estimates, not a direct count, and the latest annual value covers 2025. They do not show which industries, regions or age groups are behind the rise.
Sources for this paragraph (1)
- F8 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 4.09% · 2025 · World Bank
The figures do not explain why unemployment has risen since 2023. They also do not say how long people have been out of work or how many are working fewer hours than they want.
Sources for this paragraph (3)
- F6 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 3.67% · 2023 · World Bank
- F7 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 3.94% · 2024 · World Bank
- F8 Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) · 4.09% · 2025 · World Bank
The September 2026 monthly rate of 4.72% uses a different method, so it cannot confirm whether the 2026 annual estimate will be higher or lower than 2025.
Sources for this paragraph (1)
- C5 Australia unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) · 4.72% · 2026-09 · Australian Bureau of Statistics
Scenarios to watch
- Scenario, not a forecast If the monthly seasonally adjusted rate stays around its September 2026 level for the rest of the year, the next annual ILO estimate could show a third consecutive rise.
- Scenario, not a forecast If monthly unemployment eases over the coming months, the annual estimate for 2026 could level off near the 2025 figure.
- Scenario, not a forecast If the ILO revises its modelling, earlier years in this timeline could change, so the trend should be rechecked when new estimates are published.
What to check next
- The next monthly seasonally adjusted unemployment rate after September 2026
- The ILO modelled estimate for 2026 when it is released
- The next consumer price inflation figures after August 2026, including rent and electricity
- Any revisions to the 2024 and 2025 annual unemployment estimates
Verified data used in this report
| Indicator | Value | Period | Sources | Accessed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) | 5.35% | 2018 | World Bank | |
| F2 | Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) | 5.14% | 2019 | World Bank | |
| F3 | Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) | 6.39% | 2020 | World Bank | |
| F4 | Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) | 5.02% | 2021 | World Bank | |
| F5 | Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) | 3.73% | 2022 | World Bank | |
| F6 | Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) | 3.67% | 2023 | World Bank | |
| F7 | Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) | 3.94% | 2024 | World Bank | |
| F8 | Australia Unemployment, total (% of labour force, ILO modelled estimate) | 4.09% | 2025 | World Bank | |
| C1 | Australia consumer price inflation (12-month change) | 4% | 2026-08 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | |
| C2 | Australia electricity price inflation (12-month change) | 13.2% | 2026-08 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | |
| C3 | Australia food price inflation (12-month change) | 3% | 2026-08 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | |
| C4 | Australia rent prices (CPI, 12-month change) | 3.6% | 2026-08 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | |
| C5 | Australia unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) | 4.72% | 2026-09 | Australian Bureau of Statistics | |
| C6 | Australia GDP growth (annual %) | 1.35% | 2025 | World Bank | |
| C8 | Australia Fertility rate, total (births per woman) | 1.48 | 2024 | World Bank | |
| C9 | Australia Population aged 65 and above (% of total population) | 18.09% | 2025 | World Bank | |
| C10 | Australia Population growth (annual %) | 1.53% | 2025 | World Bank |
Sources
How this report was checked
- Data: the newest reference period cited is 2026-09.
- Figures were collected from the source on
- Written by an AI model (claude-opus-5-5) using only the official figures listed in this report.
- Automatic checks passed: every number matches a cited figure, every paragraph names its evidence, and there is no investment advice or copied source text.
- A separate quality-check model raised concerns that were recorded but not fully resolved.
- No person reviewed this report before publication. Automatic checks confirm the numbers, not every interpretation.
Update history
- 2026-10-28 01:00 UTC — created
- 2026-10-28 01:00 UTC — approved+published