Fri, 9 May 2014The latest Australian employment figures indicate “an underlying softness in the labour market with employment growth remaining slow,” according to minister for employment, senator Eric Abetz.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April remained steady at 5.8%, and part-time employment remained unchanged at 3,527,800 people.

While the figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that seasonally adjusted employment expanded in April, increasing by 14,200, senator Abetz said that the figures should be treated with caution.

“The Coalition has inherited a tough fiscal position; that creates a difficult position for jobs creation. The first step to encouraging future jobs growth is to repair the Commonwealth budget,” Abetz said.

The Australian government is providing incentives to help more unemployed Australians back into the workforce, including:

• a Job Commitment Bonus payment of up to A$6.5k (£3.6k), which will encourage long-term unemployed young Australians to find a job and remain off welfare

• the Tasmanian Jobs Programme, which will provide an incentive of up to A$3.25k to businesses that employ jobseekers – who have been out of work for at least six months and are at risk of long-term unemployment – in full-time positions for at least six months.