Australian employment fell by 39,300 people in September 2026 on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics release of 15 October. The number of employed people stood at approximately 14.78 million.
The decline was concentrated in part-time work, which fell by 73,700. Full-time employment increased by 34,400, partly offsetting that reduction. The participation rate slipped to 66.8%, while the employment-to-population ratio decreased to 63.6%. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.7% and underemployment was 6.3%.
The bureau’s trend series presented a less abrupt picture: trend employment increased by 15,700 and trend unemployment remained at 4.6%. ABS recommends caution when interpreting short-term changes, explaining that the trend series removes substantial month-to-month variability.
The release describes Labour Force modernisation and potential comparability issues for selected measures. September’s fall signals weaker seasonally adjusted employment, but does not establish the direction of every industry or region. The published methodology gives fuller context.