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The number of Australians in work fell for the first time in six months in April, the first full month without the JobKeeper wage subsidy, prompting warnings the nationâs stunning early recovery from the coronavirus pandemic may become a slow grind.
In figures showing a widening gap between the Victorian and NSW jobs markets, the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday reported the national unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points to 5.5 per cent.
Employment fell by more than 30,000 in April when the JobKeeper wage subsidy came to an end.
Credit:Sam Mooy
The fall was due to a 0.3 percentage point drop in the participation rate â the number of people in work or looking for it â as the total number of people in a job slipped by 30,600.