The number of employed people rose by 99,800 people to 15.0 million in the December quarter 2025, according to Labour Account figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Sean Crick, head of ABS labour statistics, said: 'The number of employed people rose by 0.7 per cent in line with the 0.7 per cent rise in hours worked this quarter.
Multiple job-holders rose 0.4 per cent to 976,400 people, following a rise of 2.4 per cent in the previous quarter. Despite the two quarterly rises, there were 9,800 fewer multiple job-holders compared to December quarter 2024.'
| Multiple job-holding rate (%) | Employed people ('000) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jun-20 | 5.1 | 12,484.2 |
| Sep-20 | 5.7 | 12,729 |
| Dec-20 | 6 | 13,047.3 |
| Mar-21 | 6 | 13,171 |
| Jun-21 | 6.2 | 13,287.9 |
| Sep-21 | 5.9 | 13,006.1 |
| Dec-21 | 6.3 | 13,524.3 |
| Mar-22 | 6.3 | 13,642 |
| Jun-22 | 6.5 | 13,863.8 |
| Sep-22 | 6.4 | 13,944.2 |
| Dec-22 | 6.5 | 14,124.1 |
| Mar-23 | 6.6 | 14,258.7 |
| Jun-23 | 6.7 | 14,342.8 |
| Sep-23 | 6.7 | 14,402.5 |
| Dec-23 | 6.6 | 14,466.5 |
| Mar-24 | 6.7 | 14,544.5 |
| Jun-24 | 6.6 | 14,628.9 |
| Sep-24 | 6.7 | 14,749.7 |
| Dec-24 | 6.7 | 14,810 |
| Mar-25 | 6.5 | 14,843.1 |
| Jun-25 | 6.4 | 14,884.7 |
| Sep-25 | 6.5 | 14,926.5 |
| Dec-25 | 6.5 | 15,026.4 |
Filled jobs rose 0.4 per cent (60,700 jobs) to 16.1 million jobs. This reflected a rise in both main jobs and secondary jobs of 0.4 per cent, or 56,400 and 4,300 respectively.
'The number of job vacancies decreased over the quarter, while proportion of vacant jobs remained stable at 2.0 per cent,' Mr Crick said.
Market sector filled jobs rose 0.4 per cent (40,100 jobs) this quarter and the non-market sector rose 0.4 per cent (20,600 jobs), recording the third quarterly rise for both sectors.
Through the year to December 2025, market sector filled jobs rose 1.2 per cent (135,300 jobs), accounting for around 66 per cent of the growth in total filled jobs. Non-market sector filled jobs rose 1.5 per cent (71,700 jobs) and accounted for around 34 per cent of growth in total filled jobs through the year.
| Market filled jobs ('000) | Non-market filled jobs ('000) | |
|---|---|---|
| Mar-23 | 36.2 | 134.8 |
| Jun-23 | 66.1 | 65.2 |
| Sep-23 | 55.9 | 45.4 |
| Dec-23 | -20.6 | 26.8 |
| Mar-24 | -6.9 | 103.6 |
| Jun-24 | 29.2 | 41.9 |
| Sep-24 | 63.2 | 124.7 |
| Dec-24 | -1.9 | 18.0 |
| Mar-25 | -9.4 | -10.1 |
| Jun-25 | 41.0 | 7.1 |
| Sep-25 | 63.6 | 53.6 |
| Dec-25 | 40.1 | 20.6 |
Hours worked grew in 16 out of 19 industries this quarter.
'The largest growth in hours worked was a 5.4 per cent rise in Agriculture, forestry and fishing. This rise was largely due to a strong harvest season and bouncing back from the 6.3 per cent fall in September quarter 2025.
Filled jobs grew in 14 out of 19 industries this quarter.
The Construction industry drove the rise in total filled jobs, recording a rise of 0.9 per cent this quarter. Over the past twelve months, the Construction industry also saw the largest growth in the number of filled jobs, growing by 4.5 per cent or 57,700 jobs.
'Construction is now the third largest employing industry in Australia, accounting for 8.2 per cent of total filled jobs in December quarter 2025,' Mr Crick added.
| Filled jobs (%) | Hours worked (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 0.0 | 5.4 |
| Mining | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Manufacturing | -0.5 | -0.4 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Construction | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Wholesale trade | -0.2 | -0.4 |
| Retail trade | -0.3 | 0.5 |
| Accommodation and food services | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 0.6 | 0.8 |
| Information media and telecommunications | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Financial and insurance services | -0.6 | -0.3 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 2.4 | 0.8 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| Administrative and support services | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Public administration and safety | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Education and training | 0.5 | 1.9 |
| Health care and social assistance | 0.3 | 0.5 |
| Arts and recreation services | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Other services | 0.6 | 1.1 |
