Bad news for households
Data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that, in February, 53,800 positions were lopped out of the economy but 55,600 part-time positions were created, leaving a net increase of 1800, seasonally adjusted. That follows a downwardly revised gain of 300 jobs in January.
February's data shows the biggest drop in full-time positions since July 1991, when 79,400 full-time jobs were lost - and the nation was officially in recession.
The data show that, in New South Wales, the jobless rate climbed from 5.5% to 5.8%. In Victoria it jumped sharply, from 4.8% to 5.6%. In Queensland it was up by 0.1 percentage point to 4.5% and, in fellow mining state Western Australia, it rose from 3.3% to 4.2%.
The drop in full-time jobs "is bad in terms of household income because the composition of employment is shifting away from full time to part time", said ANZ economist Riki Polygenis. "Which means the average pay intake is going down."
This could affect consumer demand, which in turn would undermine economic growth, she said.
Economists agreed that the higher-then-expected unemployment rate, along with the collapse in full-time jobs, will be noted by the Reserve Bank as it considers another interest rate cut next month.作者: 格美 时间: 13-3-2009 12:37
呵呵，咋不发到理财版呢。俺给你加分。作者: mk82 时间: 13-3-2009 13:24
夫唱妇随. 经典作者: 格美 时间: 13-3-2009 15:09
