Australian unemployment fell unexpectedly in August to 4.1 percent, its lowest level in five months, despite a slowing economy and rising prices, official figures showed Thursday.
Economists had widely expected the country's jobless rate would rise slightly from 4.3 to 4.4 percent in August, but the Australian Bureau of Statistics instead said the rate had fallen.
The number of people employed also rose by a seasonally adjusted 14,600 to 10.744 million, including a 7,500 increase in full-time employment, the bureau said.