Australia December employment change beats estimates, jobless rate ticks higher

Omkar Godbole FXStreet Contributor

The data released by Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed the economy added 34.7K jobs in December vs. forecast of 9K. The previous month's print was revised higher to 63.6K from 61.6K. Full-Time employment change came in at 15.1k in December versus 41.9k in November. Meanwhile, the jobless rate rose to 5.5 percent from 5.4 percent.

December Key Points (Source: ABS)

TREND ESTIMATES (MONTHLY CHANGE)

Employment increased 25,000 to 12,419,800.
Unemployment increased 100 to 715,000.
The unemployment rate decreased by less than 0.1 pts to 5.4%.
Participation rate remained steady at 65.5%.
Monthly hours worked in all jobs increased 4.0 million hours (0.2%) to 1,738.4 million hours.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED ESTIMATES (MONTHLY CHANGE)

Employment increased 34,700 to 12,440,800. Full-time employment increased 15,100 to 8,518,900 and part-time employment increased 19,500 to 3,921,800.
Unemployment increased 20,500 to 730,600. The number of unemployed persons looking for full-time work increased 9,900 to 501,800 and the number of unemployed persons only looking for part-time work increased 10,600 to 228,800.
Unemployment rate increased 0.1 pts to 5.5%
Participation rate increased by 0.2 pts to 65.7%.
Monthly hours worked in all jobs decreased 4.2 million hours (0.2%) to 1,736.4 million hours.

Author

Omkar Godbole

FXStreet Contributor

Omkar Godbole, editor and analyst, joined FXStreet after four years as a research analyst at several Indian brokerage companies.

GBP/USD rebounds above 1.3300 ahead of UK Retail Sales data

The GBP/USD pair recovers some lost ground to near 1.3325, snapping the five-day losing streak during the Asian trading hours on Friday. However, the potential upside might be limited amid heightened military tensions in the Middle East. Traders brace for the release of the UK Retail Sales data, which will be published later on Friday.

EUR/USD rises as US Dollar weakens despite rising Middle East tensions

EUR/USD gains ground after posting modest losses in the previous day, trading around 1.1380 during the Asian hours on Friday. However, the potential upside for the pair could be limited as the US Dollar may regain strength, largely driven by escalating conflicts in the Middle East that threaten to push crude oil prices higher.

Gold retains bearish bias heading into the Fed week

Gold is nursing heavy losses incurred on Thursday, keeping its range near $4,050 early Friday. Despite the recent retracement, Gold remains on track to register its first weekly gain in three.

Ethereum: Derivatives interest in ETH improves, but signs of caution remain

Ethereum is hovering slightly below the $1,900 level, down 3% on Thursday following a slight expansion in derivatives interest. The top altcoin's open interest has increased to 14.60 million ETH, marking a 600K ETH increase over the past two days and its highest level since June 7.

Bitcoin stalls near 50-day EMA, Ethereum extends losses, XRP struggles at key resistance

Bitcoin stalls near the 50-day Exponential Moving Average at $65,145 after a mild correction earlier this week. Meanwhile, Ethereum and Ripple face rejection at key resistance levels, keeping the short-term technical outlook bearish.

US Dollar mid-year outlook: Exceptional currency, exceptional risks?

The US Dollar enters the second half of 2026 in a markedly different position from a year ago. The King currency has recovered, reflecting persistent US inflation, changing expectations for Fed policy, geopolitical tensions and renewed demand for defensive assets.