Australia’s jobless rate holds at 4.4% as June employment jumps by 76,000

Australia’s unemployment rate held steady at 4.4% in June, in line with expectations, even as 76,000 people started a new job and the participation rate edged up to 67%. Inflation remains at 4.0%, above the Reserve Bank of Australia’s 2–3% target range. Economists expect the jobless rate to rise to 4.6% by year-end, while renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz add uncertainty to the inflation outlook. The figures underscored signs of a tight labour market, influencing the Australian dollar and government bond yields, but did not provide an immediate catalyst for spot trading.