Hours work plunged 9pc in January
The cities were extremely quiet in January, as many Aussies worked from home or were signed off on sick leave.
Full-time employment fell 17,000 in January, according to the ABS survey, offset by an increase in part-time jobs.
Employment fell back in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, although on a seasonally adjusted basis there was an increase in Canberra, leading to a fairly flat result overall.
The unemployment rate increased, but only marginally from 4.16 per cent to 4.19 per cent.
Hours worked plunged 8.8 per cent in the month, to be lower than a year earlier.
In summary, loads of people were off sick in January, and it was a soft result.
