SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian employment was steady through July, weekly data showed on Tuesday, though the southeastern state of Victoria, which is grappling with a fresh wave of coronavirus infections, suffered a setback.
The number of payroll jobs nationwide eased 0.1% in July while Victoria recorded a fall of 1.5% as strict mobility restrictions and curfews came into effect, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed.
Official monthly figures due later this week are expected to show a jump in the national jobless rate to 7.8%, according to a median forecast of economists in a Reuters poll.
(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
