# Australia's unemployment rate rises to 4.6% in August, five days before the RBA's next decision > The ABS reported 39,000 more people in employment and 28,000 more unemployed in August, all the net gain in part-time jobs. The RBA meets on 29 September with the cash rate at 4.35%. - Canonical URL: https://forextradingcommunity.com/news/australia-unemployment-rises-4-6-percent-august-2026/ - Type: Data - Published: 2026-09-26 - Updated: 2026-09-26 - Publisher: Forex Trading Community (https://forextradingcommunity.com), FTC Editorial Team - Currencies: AUD The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on 24 September 2026 that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in August, as previewed the week before ([preview](/news/australia-labour-force-august-2026-preview/)). It is the last major labour market reading before the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision on 29 September ([preview](/news/rba-september-2026-preview/)). ## The August numbers - **Unemployment rate**: 4.6%, up from 4.5% in July. ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick said "this month there was 39,000 more people in employment, and 28,000 more people in unemployment" - **Employment mix**: part-time employment rose by 46,000, while full-time employment fell by 6,000 - **Participation rate**: 67.1%, up 0.2 percentage points - **Underemployment rate**: 6.2%, down 0.1 percentage points - **Hours worked**: rose by 14 million hours, or 0.7%, after a fall of the same size in July - **Trend estimates**: the trend unemployment rate also edged up to 4.6%, with trend employment growing 0.2% ## A caveat on the numbers The ABS has removed the Supplementary Survey adjustment factors it previously applied in February and August, which it says "could have an unintended impact on August 2026 estimates," though it expects the effect to be smaller than typical sampling variability. The Bureau recommends leaning on trend data, which tells a similar story: unemployment edging higher rather than falling. ## What it means for the RBA and the Australian dollar All of August's net job gain was in part-time work, while full-time employment fell, and the unemployment rate has now risen two months running, from 4.4% in June to 4.5% in July to 4.6% in August. In August the RBA said labour market conditions had "eased by a little more than expected in recent months" and that it would consider raising the cash rate further only if upside risks to inflation materialise ([report](/news/rba-holds-cash-rate-4-35-august-2026/)). A softer jobs market points the other way. August's CPI figures follow on 30 September, the day after the RBA decision. For [AUD/USD](/markets/aud-usd/), a labour market that keeps softening ahead of a decision usually weighs against a further tightening bias, though the RBA's own August guidance was framed around inflation risks, not the jobs numbers alone. [Commodity currencies explained](/news/commodity-currencies-aud-nzd-cad-nok/) covers the other drivers of the Australian dollar. The next labour force report, for September, is due 15 October 2026. ## Sources - [Australian Bureau of Statistics: Unemployment rate rises to 4.6% in August](https://www.abs.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/unemployment-rate-rises-46-august) - [Australian Bureau of Statistics: Labour Force, Australia, August 2026](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia/latest-release) ## Common questions ### What is Australia's unemployment rate now? 4.6% in August 2026, seasonally adjusted, up from 4.5% in July, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on 24 September 2026. ### How many jobs did Australia add in August 2026? Employment rose by 39,000 overall: part-time employment increased by 46,000 while full-time employment fell by 6,000. The number of unemployed people rose by 28,000. ### Does this change what the RBA is likely to do on 29 September? It adds a second straight month of a rising unemployment rate before the decision. In August the RBA said it would raise the cash rate further only if upside risks to inflation materialise, and a softer labour market is one factor it weighs alongside inflation. ### What caveat did the ABS attach to the August 2026 data? It removed the Supplementary Survey adjustment factors previously applied in February and August, which it says could affect the size of the August 2026 movement, and it recommends using trend data as the best guide to the underlying trend. ### When is Australia's next jobs report? 15 October 2026, covering September 2026. --- This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Trading forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money.