2020.02.1923:45:00UTC+00Australia Jobless Rate Climbs To 5.3% In January

The unemployment rate in Australia came in at a seasonally adjusted 5.3 percent in January, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.

That exceeded expectations for 5.2 percent and was up from 5.1 percent in December.

The Australian economy added 13.500 jobs last month, again surpassing forecasts for a gain of 10,000 jobs following the gain of 28,900 jobs ion the previous month.

The participation rate was 66.1 percent, exceeding expectations for 66.0 percent - which would have been unchanged from the month prior.