AUSTRALIAN LABOUR MARKET

The Australian workforce has experienced many structural improvements over the last decade, which have contributed to the growth in job creation and productivity. In the last two years, employment has grown by more than 2% per annum.

• In March 2001, the unemployment rate was just 6.5% - representing a 4.2% drop from the previous decade's peak unemployment level.
• In 1999 - 2000, 24% of the labour force was comprised of employees born in countries other than Australia.
• In recent years, there has been a remarkable shift from manufacturing to service industries. About 36.5% of Australians now work in professional, technical, managerial or administrative jobs.
• In 2000, Australia was ranked 11th in the world for overall productivity, as measured by GDP per person employed.