Overall Australian unemployment and under-employment at almost 3.3 million in April; ‘Real Unemployment’ at 1.63 million
In April 2026, Australian ‘real’ unemployment dropped 58,000 to 1,635,000 (10.1% of the workforce, down 0.4%), and under-employment dropped 48,000 to 1,639,000 (down 0.2% to 10.2%).
Roy Morgan estimates the overall workforce size (which adds together the employed and unemployed) at just under 16.1 million in April – 16,091,000 to be exact, down 94,000 on a month ago, and representing 68.8% of Australians aged 14+.
The decrease in the workforce was driven drops in both employment, down 36,000 to 14,456,000, and unemployment, down 58,000 to 1,635,000. The drop in employment was due to a sharp fall in full-time employment, down 225,000 to 9,145,000, but there was a rise in part-time employment, up 189,000 to 5,311,000 – a new record high. Overall employment represents 61.8% of Australians aged 14+.
Detailed Roy Morgan Employment Estimates in April 2026:
- Australian workforce decreased by 94,000 in April to just under 16.1 million:
In April the Australian workforce decreased 94,000 to 16,091,000 driven by drops in both employment, which decreased 36,000 to 14,456,000 and unemployment was down 58,000 to 1,635,000.
- Full-time employment dropped in April, but part-time employment increased to a record high:
The employment picture was mixed in April with full-time employment dropping 225,000 to 9,145,000 and now equivalent to 63.3% of employed Australians. However, part-time employment increased by 189,000 to 5,311,000 – a new record high, and equivalent to 36.7% of employed Australians. This led to overall employment dropping 36,000 to 14,456,000.
- Unemployment down by 0.4% to 10.1% in April driven the decrease in the size of the workforce:
1,635,000 Australians were unemployed (10.1% of the workforce, down 0.4%), down 58,000 from March. There was a drop in people looking for full-time work, down 12,000 to 674,000, and a larger decline in people looking for part-time work, down 46,000 to 961,000. But, combined with the fall in overall employment, down 36,000 to 14,456,000, the overall workforce declined 94,000 to 16,091,000.
- Under-employment dropped 0.2% to 10.2% in April, the lowest for seven months since October:
In addition to the unemployed, a further 1.64 million Australians (10.2% of the workforce, down 0.2%) were under-employed, i.e. working part-time but looking for more work, down 48,000 from March. In total 3.27 million Australians (20.3% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in April.
- Comparisons with a year ago show that the population, workforce and employment have grown over the last year, but overall unemployment and under-employment is also up:
The Australian population aged 14+ in April 2026 was estimated at 23,384,000 (up 418,000 from April 2025 – above the long-term average annual growth of 304,000). The workforce in April 2026 was 16,091,000 (up 145,000 from a year ago) – comprising 14,456,000 employed Australians (up 290,000) and 1,635,000 unemployed Australians (down 145,000). Unfortunately, under-employment has increased significantly from a year ago and is up 167,000 from a year ago to 1,6397,000. This means overall unemployment and under-employment is up 22,000 to 3,274,000 from April 2025.
The April Roy Morgan Unemployment estimates were obtained by surveying an Australia-wide cross section of people aged 14+. A person is classified as unemployed if they are looking for work, no matter when. The ‘real’ unemployment rate is presented as a percentage of the workforce (employed & unemployed).
Roy Morgan Unemployment & Under-employment (2019-2026)
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source January 2019 – April 2026. Average monthly interviews 5,000.
Note: Roy Morgan unemployment estimates are actual data while the ABS estimates are seasonally adjusted.
Michele Levine, CEO Roy Morgan, says the latest Roy Morgan employment estimates for April show combined unemployment and under-employment continuing at a high level above 3 million for a 17th straight month:
“The latest Roy Morgan employment estimates for April show overall Australian unemployment and under-employment down 106,000 to 3,274,000 (20.3% of the workforce, down 0.6%). Despite the fall in overall unemployment and under-employment in April, labour under-utilisation is above 3 million Australians for a 17th straight month.
“The decrease in labour under-utilisation in April was driven by falls in both unemployment, down 58,000 to 1,635,000 (10.1% of the workforce, down 0.4%), and under-employment, down 48,000 to 1,639,000 (10.2% of the workforce, down 0.2%).
“Although unemployment and under-employment falling might seem like a positive development, the falls were not because new jobs were being taken up. Overall employment fell in April for the second straight month, down by 36,000 to 14,456,000.
“The fall in employment was due to a decline in full-time employment, which fell 225,000 to 9,145,000, and was only partly offset by a sharp rise in part-time employment, up 189,000 to 5,311,000 – a new record high for this indicator.
“The Roy Morgan estimates for April show a weak labour market with record high part-time employment and falling full-time employment, which contains a large share of labour under-utilisation of over 20% – for a 17th straight month since late 2024.
“Tonight’s Federal Budget is a chance for the Albanese Government and Treasurer Jim Chalmers to propose legislative reforms to stimulate the Australian economy and improve productivity in a tough global environment – with soaring energy prices due to the war in the Middle East.”
This Roy Morgan survey on Australia’s unemployment and ‘under-employed’* is based on weekly interviews of 966,333 Australians aged 14 and over from January 2010 to April 2026 and includes 6,992 telephone and online interviews in April 2026. *The ‘under-employed’ are those people who are in part-time work or freelancers who are looking for more work.
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About Roy Morgan
Roy Morgan is Australia’s largest independent Australian research company, with offices in each state, as well as in the U.S. and U.K. A full-service research organisation, Roy Morgan has over 80 years’ experience collecting objective, independent information on consumers.
Margin of Error
The margin of error to be allowed for in any estimate depends mainly on the number of interviews on which it is based. Margin of error gives indications of the likely range within which estimates would be 95% likely to fall, expressed as the number of percentage points above or below the actual estimate. Allowance for design effects (such as stratification and weighting) should be made as appropriate.
| Sample Size | Percentage Estimate |
| 40% – 60% | 25% or 75% | 10% or 90% | 5% or 95% | |
| 1,000 | ±3.0 | ±2.7 | ±1.9 | ±1.3 |
| 5,000 | ±1.4 | ±1.2 | ±0.8 | ±0.6 |
| 7,500 | ±1.1 | ±1.0 | ±0.7 | ±0.5 |
| 10,000 | ±1.0 | ±0.9 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 |
| 20,000 | ±0.7 | ±0.6 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 |
| 50,000 | ±0.4 | ±0.4 | ±0.3 | ±0.2 |
