Canada Signals Delay in US Tariff Deal as Talks Shift to USMCA Review 
New Zealand Business Confidence Hits 30-Year High as Economic Outlook Improves 
South Korea Warns Weak Won Could Push Inflation Higher in 2025 
Oil Prices Rebound as Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Tankers 
Singapore Growth Outlook Brightens for 2025 as Economists Flag AI and Geopolitical Risks 
Austan Goolsbee Signals Potential for More Fed Rate Cuts as Inflation Shows Improvement 
Asian Stocks Slide as AI Spending Fears and Global Central Bank Decisions Weigh on Markets 
Chinese Robotaxi Stocks Rally as Tesla Boosts Autonomous Driving Optimism 
BOJ Poised for Historic Rate Hike as Japan Signals Shift Toward Monetary Normalization 
Asian Stocks Edge Higher as Tech Recovers, U.S. Economic Uncertainty Caps Gains 
U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher as Micron Earnings Boost AI Sentiment Ahead of CPI Data 
Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers, Raising Venezuela Tensions and Oil Prices 
Asian Currencies Slip as Dollar Strengthens; Indian Rupee Rebounds on Intervention Hopes 
Oil Prices Steady in Asia but Headed for Weekly Loss on Supply Glut Concerns 
Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Weakens Ahead of Key U.S. Data 
Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Global Central Bank Decisions as Yen, Sterling and Euro React 
BoE Set to Cut Rates as UK Inflation Slows, but Further Easing Likely Limited 
In January 2025, the Australian labor market was complex, as the recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report shows. The unemployment rate increased by a mere 0.1 percentage point to 4.1%. This increase is a situation where the expansion of the labor force outpaced the capacity to generate employment during the period.
Despite the rise in unemployment, total employment showed impressive growth as the economy added 44,000 jobs. It is a growth rate of 0.3%, led primarily by growth in full-time employment, which added 54,100 jobs. Meanwhile, part-time employment registered minimal contraction, testifying to the character of change in labor forces.
Participation rate reached as high as 67.3%, reflecting higher labor force participation. The rate of underemployment was at 6.0%, though combined underutilization rate rose to 10.1%. It reflects that as more individuals participate in the labor force, there is still a high percentage struggling with unemployment or underemployment, reflecting that full and effective use of the labor force is still a problem.
