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Unemployment rises to 5.8 per cent in December

Job hunting hasn't recovered to pre-GFC levels, when the median job search was just 11 weeks.

Job hunting hasn't recovered to pre-GFC levels, when the median job search was just 11 weeks. Photo: AAP

Australia’s unemployment rate rose to 5.8 per cent in December, official figures show, missing expectations of it staying at 5.7 per cent.

The total number of people with jobs rose by 13,500 in the month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday, with the market forecasting a rise of 12,000.

Full-time employment rose by 9,300 jobs, while the number of part-time jobs was up by 4,200.

The participation rate, which refers to the number of people either employed or actively looking for work, was up at 64.7 per cent in December from 64.6 in November.

“Over the past year we have seen a shift toward part-time employment, particularly in the first half of 2016,” ABS macroeconomic statistics division general manager Bruce Hockman said.

“There are now around 120,900 more people working part-time than a year ago, and around 35,300 fewer people working full time.

“Since December 2015, the share of part-time employment increased from 31.1 per cent to 31.9 pr cent.”

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