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Employment & Wages•Series ID: GLFSURSA•1950–2026

Australian Unemployment Rate - Historical Data

The headline Australian unemployment rate combines the ABS Monthly Labour Force Survey (1978–present) with historical annual series from RBA Occasional Paper No. 8 (1950–1977).

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Current Statistics & Historical Records

Latest Reading (Sep 2026)
4.7%
Prev (Aug 2026): 4.7%0.0 pp
Highest Recorded (Dec 1992)
11.2%

Recorded in Dec 1992

Lowest Recorded (1951)
0.3%

Korean War wool price boom & inflation spike

Long-Run Mean (1950–2026)
4.8%

77 annual observations · Monthly

Australian Unemployment Rate - Historical Series (1950–2026)

%

Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, or toggle between full annual history (1950–2026) and recent monthly releases.

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Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (GLFSURSA) Latest: 4.7 % (Sep 2026)

Australian Unemployment Rate by Decade (1950–2026)

Decade averages, peaks, and troughs across Australian economic cycles

1950s1950–1959
1.0%
High (1958):1.7%
Low (1951):0.3%
1960s1960–1969
1.7%
High (1961):2.6%
Low (1960):1.2%
1970s1970–1979
3.7%
High (1978):6.3%
Low (1970):1.4%
1980s1980–1989
7.6%
High (1983):10.0%
Low (1981):5.8%
1990s1990–1999
8.8%
High (1993):10.9%
Low (1990):6.9%
2000s2000–2009
5.5%
High (2001):6.8%
Low (2008):4.2%
2010s2010–2019
5.5%
High (2014):6.1%
Low (2011):5.1%
2020s2020–2026
4.5%
High (2020):6.5%
Low (2022):3.7%

Australian Unemployment Rate - Historical Table (1950–2026)

Unit: % · Source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (GLFSURSA)

Download full CSV (77 rows) ↓
YearUnemployment (%)Year Range (Low – High)Historical Context / Year Snapshot
20264.4%4.1% – 4.7% The Australian Economy in 2026 →
20254.2%4.1% – 4.4%Disinflation & monetary policy recalibration
20244.0%3.7% – 4.2% The Australian Economy in 2024 →
20233.7%3.5% – 4.0% The Australian Economy in 2023 →
20223.7%3.4% – 4.2%Post-pandemic inflation surge & rapid RBA tightening cycle
20215.1%4.2% – 6.3% The Australian Economy in 2021 →
20206.5%5.1% – 7.4%COVID-19 pandemic shock & 0.10% cash rate floor
20195.2%5.0% – 5.3% The Australian Economy in 2019 →
20185.3%5.0% – 5.6% The Australian Economy in 2018 →
20175.6%5.4% – 5.9% The Australian Economy in 2017 →
20165.7%5.6% – 6.0% The Australian Economy in 2016 →
20156.1%5.7% – 6.4% The Australian Economy in 2015 →
20146.1%5.8% – 6.4% The Australian Economy in 2014 →
20135.7%5.4% – 5.9% The Australian Economy in 2013 →
20125.2%5.0% – 5.5% The Australian Economy in 2012 →
20115.1%4.9% – 5.3%China mining investment & Terms of Trade supercycle peak
20105.2%4.9% – 5.5% The Australian Economy in 2010 →
20095.6%4.9% – 5.9% The Australian Economy in 2009 →
20084.2%4.0% – 4.6%Global Financial Crisis (GFC) & emergency rate cuts
20074.4%4.2% – 4.6% The Australian Economy in 2007 →
20064.8%4.5% – 5.2% The Australian Economy in 2006 →
20055.0%4.9% – 5.2% The Australian Economy in 2005 →
20045.4%5.1% – 5.6% The Australian Economy in 2004 →
20035.9%5.7% – 6.1% The Australian Economy in 2003 →
20026.4%6.1% – 6.9% The Australian Economy in 2002 →
20016.8%6.1% – 7.2% The Australian Economy in 2001 →
20006.3%6.0% – 6.8%Introduction of the 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST)
19996.9%6.4% – 7.1% The Australian Economy in 1999 →
19987.7%7.2% – 8.0% The Australian Economy in 1998 →
19978.4%7.9% – 8.7% The Australian Economy in 1997 →
19968.5%8.3% – 8.8% The Australian Economy in 1996 →
19958.5%8.1% – 8.9% The Australian Economy in 1995 →
19949.7%8.9% – 10.6% The Australian Economy in 1994 →
199310.9%10.7% – 11.0%RBA formalises 2–3% inflation targeting
199210.7%10.3% – 11.2% The Australian Economy in 1992 →
19919.6%8.4% – 10.5%Early 1990s recession ("The recession we had to have")
19906.9%6.1% – 8.0%Monetary tightening peak (17.5% Cash Rate)
19896.1%5.8% – 6.8% The Australian Economy in 1989 →
19887.2%6.6% – 7.9% The Australian Economy in 1988 →
19878.1%7.7% – 8.4%October 1987 sharemarket crash
19868.1%7.7% – 8.4% The Australian Economy in 1986 →
19858.3%7.8% – 8.7% The Australian Economy in 1985 →
19849.0%8.5% – 9.5% The Australian Economy in 1984 →
198310.0%9.3% – 10.5%Float of the Australian Dollar & Prices and Incomes Accord
19827.2%6.0% – 9.4%Early 1980s recession & drought
19815.8%5.4% – 6.0% The Australian Economy in 1981 →
19806.1%5.9% – 6.3% The Australian Economy in 1980 →
19796.3%6.0% – 6.5% The Australian Economy in 1979 →
19786.3%6.2% – 6.6% The Australian Economy in 1978 →
19775.7%5.7% The Australian Economy in 1977 →
19764.7%4.7% The Australian Economy in 1976 →
19754.6%4.6% The Australian Economy in 1975 →
19742.4%2.4%1974 wage explosion & stagflation peak
19731.8%1.8%First OPEC oil shock
19722.5%2.5% The Australian Economy in 1972 →
19711.7%1.7% The Australian Economy in 1971 →
19701.4%1.4% The Australian Economy in 1970 →
19691.5%1.5% The Australian Economy in 1969 →
19681.6%1.6% The Australian Economy in 1968 →
19671.7%1.7% The Australian Economy in 1967 →
19661.6%1.6%Decimal currency transition (£ to AUD)
19651.2%1.2% The Australian Economy in 1965 →
19641.2%1.2% The Australian Economy in 1964 →
19631.9%1.9% The Australian Economy in 1963 →
19622.1%2.1% The Australian Economy in 1962 →
19612.6%2.6%Menzies credit squeeze
19601.2%1.2% The Australian Economy in 1960 →
19591.7%1.7% The Australian Economy in 1959 →
19581.7%1.7% The Australian Economy in 1958 →
19571.3%1.3% The Australian Economy in 1957 →
19560.8%0.8% The Australian Economy in 1956 →
19550.5%0.5% The Australian Economy in 1955 →
19540.6%0.6% The Australian Economy in 1954 →
19531.5%1.5% The Australian Economy in 1953 →
19521.1%1.1% The Australian Economy in 1952 →
19510.3%0.3%Korean War wool price boom & inflation spike
19500.4%0.4% The Australian Economy in 1950 →

Related Australian Economic Statistics

Labour Force Participation RateEmployment & Wages · 1978–2026
66.8%Sep 2026
Total Employed Persons & Employment GrowthEmployment & Wages · 1979–2026
1.2%Sep 2026
Underemployment RateEmployment & Wages · 1978–2026
6.3%Sep 2026
Australian Job VacanciesEmployment & Wages · 1979–2026
325.0k31 Aug 2026
 Compare Unemployment against another indicator →

Source Information & Methodology

Primary Institution:
Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
Dataset / Publication:
Labour Force - Unemployment Rate (Seasonally Adjusted)
Series / Table ID:
RBA Statistical Table H5 (GLFSURSA)
Release Frequency:
Monthly
Licence:
CC BY 4.0 International / RBA Terms

• Primary source: Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - Labour Force - Unemployment Rate (Seasonally Adjusted) (RBA Statistical Table H5).

• Observation frequency: Monthly. Annual table values represent calendar year averages.

• Series coverage spans 1950 to 2026 (77 annual observations).

APA Citation:Reserve Bank of Australia & Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2026). Labour Force - Unemployment Rate (Seasonally Adjusted) (H5: GLFSURSA). Retrieved October 2026 from https://www.rba.gov.au/statistics/tables/

Frequently Asked Questions: Australian Unemployment Rate

What is the current Australian Unemployment Rate?
As of Sep 2026, the latest recorded Australian Unemployment Rate is 4.7 (%), compared with 4.7 in Aug 2026.
What is the highest and lowest Australian Unemployment Rate ever recorded in Australia?
Across the historical series (1950–2026), the highest observation was 11.2 (%) in Dec 1992, while the lowest was 0.3 (%) in 1951. The long-run historical average is 4.8.
Where is the official Australian Unemployment Rate data sourced from?
This series is compiled from Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) / Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (Labour Force - Unemployment Rate (Seasonally Adjusted), Series ID: GLFSURSA) and is updated on a monthly basis under CC BY 4.0 International / RBA Terms.