This week’s big data release was the August labour force report, where lockdowns continued to distort some of the headline data. This produced the disconcerting combination of another fall in the unemployment rate – this time to 4.5 per cent, its lowest rate since late 2008 – alongside a drop in employment of more than 146,000 people and a 3.7 per cent slump in hours worked. The explanation for this peculiar blend of outcomes was another big decline in the participation rate as the size of the Australian labour force shrank for a second consecutive month.
Reserve Bank of Australia: Staggering fortune YOU have given big banks dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The Australian Dollar took a hit but remained higher on the day versus the US Dollar after a big jobs report miss. The 146k jobs lost in August bolsters calls for a Q3 economic contraction.