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ABS finally releases Australia's Underemployment data - a real problem

Finding No. 4415 - Comment by Gary Morgan, Executive Chairman Roy Morgan Research and Michele Levine, Chief Executive Officer, Roy Morgan Research on the latest Unemployment results released by the ABS today.: September 10, 2009

The August ABS unemployment estimate of 5.8%, released today, is unchanged from last month - a similar result as announced by Roy Morgan last week (7.4%, down 0.2%).

However, for the first time the ABS has released a section on the monthly underemployment rate trend estimate. Roy Morgan Research has been calling for the monthly release of these figures for years — and releasing our own monthly underemployment estimate for almost a year as the economic slowdown demanded closer attention be paid to the state of the Australia labour force.

The Roy Morgan unemployment and underemployment estimate for August of 14.4% (1.636 million) shows too many Australians are looking for more work — many more than has been understood by the public, politicians and the media in the past.

Today’s release by the ABS of the August labour ‘underutilisation rate’ of 13.9% shows for the first time that the ABS has started to accurately report Australia’s true unemployment and underemployment situation. Australia cannot get out of the recession without this figure dropping dramatically. For the RBA to put up interest rates at this time would be ‘economic suicide.’

Today’s ABS figures are a ‘giant leap’ forward for understanding the Australian labour market — it is time that Australia’s politicians started a real debate on how to find jobs for more than 1.6 million Australians looking for work or more work!

What is the major concern for Australia is for the 13th month in a row the ‘hours worked’ has dropped — in August down by another 5.8 million hours a month!

Gary Morgan and Michele Levine

Click here to access Gary Morgan’s interview with ABC Radio National on

Australia’s Unemployed and Underemployed — Thursday September 10, 2009.

For further information:

Gary Morgan: Office +61 3 9224 5213 Mobile +61 411 129 094

Michele Levine: Office +61 3 9224 5215 Mobile +61 411 129 093