The latest labour force data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics – Labour Force data – for May 2017 shows that employment rose by 42,000 on the back of a strong rebound in full-time employment (up 52,100), given last month’s contraction in full-time work. Unemployment fell by 18,600, which allowed the official unemployment rate to fall to 5.5 per cent. There was a slight uptick in the participation rate as job opportunities improved. Underemployment remained steady at 8.6 per cent and broad labour underutilisation remains high at 14 per cent with unemployment and underemployment summing to 1,837.4 thousand persons. The teenage labour market also deteriorated in May contrary to the overall improvement. It remains in a poor state.