The economy shed jobs in Feb for the first time in a year and half as part-time employment fell sharply over the month, but the data was a mixed bag with full-time employment rising strongly, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5%.
The total number of jobs fell 10,100, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. The number of people in full-time work rose 47,600 but this was countered by the number of people in part-time work which fell 57,700.