Australia's unemployment rate rises to 5.7 per cent in June An employee inspects finished rolls of aluminium as they come off the last stage of the production line. AUSTRALIA's unemployment rate rose to 5.7 per cent in June, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced today. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate jumped 0.2 percentage points, as 23,700 Australians joined the dole queue. The number of Australians employed increased by 10,300 to 11.6 million in June, fuelled by part-time jobs which grew by 14,800 to 3.5 million last month. But the number of full-time jobs fell by 4,400 to 8.1 million. And the number of unemployed people rose by 23,700 to 709,300 in June, the ABS reported. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Peter Anderson said bosses were cutting back workers' hours to avoid retrenchments. "Many staff working part-time or casual hours want more work to supplement their income but the patchiness of the Australian economy is making that a very difficult ask," he said. The latest jobs data follows an ABS report showing that real unemployment is double the official figure - with 13 per cent of Australia's workforce wanting a job or longer hours. The ABS combined the official unemployment rate with "discouraged" job-seekers, the "underemployed" and those who want to start work within a month, but cannot begin immediately. The 13.1 per cent rate of "extended labour force underutilisation" in August 2012 was more than double the official unemployment rate at the time of 5 per cent. And it includes those "discouraged" job-seekers who want to work but have given up looking because employers consider them to be too old or too young, if they are ill or disabled, lack the necessary training or experience, cannot find a job locally or in their line of work, or cannot speak English well.