As said, the Unemployment Rate is foreseen at 4% in February, easing from the previous 4.1%, although still higher than the 2023 low of 3.5%. RBA Governor Michele Bullock noted in the press conference following the monetary policy announcement that “The judgement at the moment is the labour market still is slightly on the tight side,” based on the fact that the Unemployment Rate is still lower than it was before the Coronovirus pandemic. Back then, the Unemployment Rate averaged 5% for nearly a decade.
It is worth remembering that the RBA mandate is “to contribute to the stability of the currency, full employment, and the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people,” according to the central bank’s own definition. Hence, a bounce in employment stands in the way of rate cuts.
The Australian economy has cooled more than enough with recent interest-rate hikes, and a recession is not out of the picture. In fact, economists believe the November hike accelerated the slowdown and may have been excessive. If unemployment continues to rise, the RBA would be forced into early rate cuts.
That said, a lower-than-anticipated Unemployment Rate will allow Australian policymakers to maintain rates higher for longer, which, conversely, will mean higher risks for an economic setback.
Wage growth in the country is reported separately. The Australian ABS releases the Wage Price Index quarterly, which “measures changes in the price of labour, unaffected by compositional shifts in the labour force, hours worked or employee characteristics.”
The latest report shows that the Wage Price Index rose 0.9% for the three months to December and 4.2% over the year. That was the first time in three years that wage growth outstripped inflation and the highest annual increase since early 2009. Wage increases pose a risk to inflation.
The RBA is on a narrow path, as former Governor Philip Lowe used to say, and may be forced into quick, unexpected monetary decisions in the months to come. A higher-than-anticipated Unemployment Rate may not bother Australian policymakers, but it could indeed take its toll on the Aussie
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