Fed: Long term unemployment at nine year low

AAP General News (Australia)
08-17-2000
Fed: Long term unemployment at nine year low

CANBERRA, Aug 17 AAP - Long-term unemployment dropped to a nine-year low in July, after
the number of people out of work for more than a year fell by 20,000 in just two months.

Unemployment fell to a 10-year low of 6.3 per cent in July, and the big improvements
in the jobless rate are now helping to find work for even the most disadvantaged job seekers.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said that 168,300 people had been out of
a job for over a year in July, seasonally adjusted, the lowest number since March 1991.

That was down 9,900 on June and 20,600 in just two months.

However, the improvement in July was exclusively among men, with the number of women
out of work for more than a year rising slightly.

The long term unemployed still make up 27.6 per cent of all jobless, down only marginally
on the previous month.

The biggest improvement in July came among those out of work for more than two years,
down 6,900 for the month to 105,400.

Those out of work for between one and two years were down 3,000 to 62,900.

AAP ss/mfh mg

KEYWORD: JOBS

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