What is in the Australia jobs report
The ABS runs the Labour Force Survey every month among about 24,000 dwellings, which comes to around 50,000 people. Each household stays in the survey for eight months. That way seven eighths of the sample is the same from one month to the next.
Someone counts as employed after working one hour or more for pay in the reference week. Someone counts as unemployed when they had no job, looked for work in the four weeks before, and were available to start.
The release gives the change in employment, split into full-time and part-time work, and the unemployment rate. It also has the participation rate, the underemployment rate and the hours worked. The headline figures are seasonally adjusted.
Why the jobs report moves the Australian dollar
The RBA's mandate has two parts: inflation of 2 to 3%, and full employment. A labour market that stays tight keeps pressure on wages and prices. That argues for a higher cash rate, or a later cut.
This is why the unemployment rate often matters more than the number of new jobs. Unemployment below the forecast tends to lift the Aussie. Unemployment above it tends to weigh on it.
How to read the Australia jobs report against the forecast
Look at the unemployment rate first, then at employment and the split between full-time and part-time work. A gain made only of part-time jobs says less than a smaller gain in full-time work.
Check the participation rate as well. Unemployment can fall because people stop looking for work, and that is not the same as people finding it.
The survey is a sample, so a single month can move on noise alone. The ABS publishes a trend series next to the seasonally adjusted one and calls it the more reliable guide to the direction.
What the Australian dollar did on the last release days
Measured on our own prices: the Australian dollar against the basket of the eight majors, from the London opening before the release to the one after it, so the release sits inside the window. Anything else that came out between those two openings is in it too, so a day with more news says less about this release alone.
| Release | Amsterdam | Measured | AUD vs basket |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Sept 2026 | 03:30 | 23 Sept to 24 Sept | -0.31% |
For scale: on an ordinary day the Australian dollar moves 0.22% against the basket from one London opening to the next, either way, on average over the 250 trading days since 14 Oct 2025.
The forecast, the figure itself and what it changed in our view of the currency are in the app, next to the research.