Employment & Wages•Series ID: GLFSEPFSA•1978–2026
Full-Time Employed Persons - Historical Data
Seasonally adjusted count of full-time workers across Australia from the ABS Monthly Labour Force Survey.
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Current Statistics & Historical Records
Latest Reading (Sep 2026)
10,232.4k
Prev (Aug 2026): 10,198.1k+34.3
Highest Recorded (Sep 2026)
10,232.4k
Recorded in Sep 2026
Lowest Recorded (Feb 1978)
5,079.1k
Recorded in Feb 1978
Long-Run Mean (1978–2026)
7,056.8k
49 annual observations · Monthly
Full-Time Employed Persons - Historical Series (1978–2026)
'000 personsDrag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full annual history (1978–2026) and recent monthly releases.
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Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (GLFSEPFSA) Latest: 10232.4 '000 persons (Sep 2026)
Full-Time Employed Persons by Decade (1978–2026)
Decade averages, peaks, and troughs across Australian economic cycles
1970s1978–1979
5,128.7k
High (1979):5,153.8
Low (1978):5,103.6
1980s1980–1989
5,551.5k
High (1989):6,134.5
Low (1983):5,211.3
1990s1990–1999
6,130.1k
High (1999):6,415.6
Low (1992):5,839.4
2000s2000–2009
7,027.7k
High (2008):7,673.1
Low (2001):6,534.6
2010s2010–2019
8,159.3k
High (2019):8,779.4
Low (2010):7,732.6
2020s2020–2026
9,548.3k
High (2026):10,165.8
Low (2020):8,629.7
Full-Time Employed Persons - Historical Table (1978–2026)
Unit: '000 persons · Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (GLFSEPFSA)
| Year | Full-Time Employment ('000 persons) | Year Range (Low – High) | Historical Context / Year Snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10,165.8 | 10,095.3 – 10,232.4 | The Australian Economy in 2026 → |
| 2025 | 10,048.6 | 9,977.3 – 10,108.9 | Disinflation & monetary policy recalibration |
| 2024 | 9,903.0 | 9,751.8 – 10,017.6 | The Australian Economy in 2024 → |
| 2023 | 9,775.3 | 9,633.3 – 9,838.4 | The Australian Economy in 2023 → |
| 2022 | 9,413.4 | 9,125.2 – 9,646.6 | Post-pandemic inflation surge & rapid RBA tightening cycle |
| 2021 | 8,902.6 | 8,768.5 – 9,084.9 | The Australian Economy in 2021 → |
| 2020 | 8,629.7 | 8,450.6 – 8,853.1 | COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor |
| 2019 | 8,779.4 | 8,726.5 – 8,833.4 | The Australian Economy in 2019 → |
| 2018 | 8,566.9 | 8,471.7 – 8,681.1 | The Australian Economy in 2018 → |
| 2017 | 8,348.5 | 8,154.7 – 8,490.7 | The Australian Economy in 2017 → |
| 2016 | 8,176.3 | 8,105.8 – 8,210.3 | The Australian Economy in 2016 → |
| 2015 | 8,122.5 | 8,029.4 – 8,221.8 | The Australian Economy in 2015 → |
| 2014 | 7,999.1 | 7,936.7 – 8,030.0 | The Australian Economy in 2014 → |
| 2013 | 7,992.8 | 7,908.9 – 8,069.5 | The Australian Economy in 2013 → |
| 2012 | 7,983.2 | 7,944.9 – 8,037.9 | The Australian Economy in 2012 → |
| 2011 | 7,891.5 | 7,835.7 – 7,930.9 | China mining investment & Terms of Trade supercycle peak |
| 2010 | 7,732.6 | 7,622.5 – 7,857.5 | The Australian Economy in 2010 → |
| 2009 | 7,619.7 | 7,571.3 – 7,721.8 | The Australian Economy in 2009 → |
| 2008 | 7,673.1 | 7,572.7 – 7,762.5 | Global Financial Crisis (GFC) & emergency rate cuts |
| 2007 | 7,476.9 | 7,360.8 – 7,582.3 | The Australian Economy in 2007 → |
| 2006 | 7,225.0 | 7,136.5 – 7,341.9 | The Australian Economy in 2006 → |
| 2005 | 7,058.9 | 6,968.8 – 7,107.2 | The Australian Economy in 2005 → |
| 2004 | 6,848.6 | 6,778.8 – 6,936.8 | The Australian Economy in 2004 → |
| 2003 | 6,701.1 | 6,638.0 – 6,775.7 | The Australian Economy in 2003 → |
| 2002 | 6,582.1 | 6,536.9 – 6,665.6 | The Australian Economy in 2002 → |
| 2001 | 6,534.6 | 6,492.3 – 6,576.6 | The Australian Economy in 2001 → |
| 2000 | 6,557.3 | 6,456.1 – 6,628.3 | Introduction of the 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) |
| 1999 | 6,415.6 | 6,361.2 – 6,488.5 | The Australian Economy in 1999 → |
| 1998 | 6,318.6 | 6,281.0 – 6,356.6 | The Australian Economy in 1998 → |
| 1997 | 6,245.2 | 6,220.6 – 6,288.6 | The Australian Economy in 1997 → |
| 1996 | 6,256.7 | 6,234.3 – 6,284.1 | The Australian Economy in 1996 → |
| 1995 | 6,194.7 | 6,085.4 – 6,253.9 | The Australian Economy in 1995 → |
| 1994 | 6,006.5 | 5,919.1 – 6,084.0 | The Australian Economy in 1994 → |
| 1993 | 5,870.0 | 5,821.1 – 5,927.5 | RBA formalises 2–3% inflation targeting |
| 1992 | 5,839.4 | 5,778.9 – 5,893.8 | The Australian Economy in 1992 → |
| 1991 | 5,958.9 | 5,858.5 – 6,080.0 | Early 1990s recession ("The recession we had to have") |
| 1990 | 6,195.4 | 6,130.3 – 6,232.8 | Monetary tightening peak (17.5% Cash Rate) |
| 1989 | 6,134.5 | 6,028.6 – 6,214.1 | The Australian Economy in 1989 → |
| 1988 | 5,927.7 | 5,850.7 – 6,011.3 | The Australian Economy in 1988 → |
| 1987 | 5,728.6 | 5,670.3 – 5,803.7 | October 1987 sharemarket crash |
| 1986 | 5,661.4 | 5,628.8 – 5,687.2 | The Australian Economy in 1986 → |
| 1985 | 5,493.0 | 5,406.7 – 5,597.1 | The Australian Economy in 1985 → |
| 1984 | 5,348.7 | 5,275.3 – 5,408.5 | The Australian Economy in 1984 → |
| 1983 | 5,211.3 | 5,160.3 – 5,274.1 | Float of the Australian Dollar & Prices and Incomes Accord |
| 1982 | 5,351.5 | 5,197.9 – 5,434.9 | Early 1980s recession & drought |
| 1981 | 5,377.4 | 5,339.9 – 5,413.7 | The Australian Economy in 1981 → |
| 1980 | 5,281.3 | 5,216.2 – 5,326.7 | The Australian Economy in 1980 → |
| 1979 | 5,153.8 | 5,118.3 – 5,211.1 | The Australian Economy in 1979 → |
| 1978 | 5,103.6 | 5,079.1 – 5,119.3 | The Australian Economy in 1978 → |
Related Australian Economic Statistics
Total Employed Persons & Employment GrowthEmployment & Wages · 1979–2026
1.2%Sep 2026
Australian Unemployment RateEmployment & Wages · 1950–2026
4.7%Sep 2026
Average Weekly Ordinary Time Earnings (AWOTE)Employment & Wages · 2012–2026
$2,084May 2026
Compare Full-Time Employment against another indicator →
Source Information & Methodology
- Primary Institution:
- Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
- Dataset / Publication:
- Full-Time Employed Persons (Seasonally Adjusted)
- Series / Table ID:
- RBA Statistical Table H5 (GLFSEPFSA)
- Release Frequency:
- Monthly
• Primary source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - Full-Time Employed Persons (Seasonally Adjusted) (RBA Statistical Table H5).
• Observation frequency: Monthly. Annual table values represent calendar year averages.
• Series coverage spans 1978 to 2026 (49 annual observations).
APA Citation:Reserve Bank of Australia & Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2026). Full-Time Employed Persons (Seasonally Adjusted) (H5: GLFSEPFSA). Retrieved October 2026 from https://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/tables/
Frequently Asked Questions: Full-Time Employed Persons
- What is the current Full-Time Employed Persons?
- As of Sep 2026, the latest recorded Full-Time Employed Persons is 10232.4 ('000 persons), compared with 10198.1 in Aug 2026.
- What is the highest and lowest Full-Time Employed Persons ever recorded in Australia?
- Across the historical series (1978–2026), the highest observation was 10232.4 ('000 persons) in Sep 2026, while the lowest was 5079.1 ('000 persons) in Feb 1978. The long-run historical average is 7056.8.
- Where is the official Full-Time Employed Persons data sourced from?
- This series is compiled from Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (Full-Time Employed Persons (Seasonally Adjusted), Series ID: GLFSEPFSA) and is updated on a monthly basis under CC BY 4.0 International / RBA Terms.