Surprise fall in Australian unemployment

SYDNEY, Apr 10 (AFP): Australian unemployment fell below 6.0 per cent in March, official data revealed today, surprising analysts who had expected a higher figure and raising hopes that the jobless rate may have peaked.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics said unemployment dropped from a revised 6.1 per cent in February to 5.8 per cent aided by a 40,200 lift in part-time positions, which offset a fall in full-time jobs.

"The number of people employed increased by 18,100 to 11,553,200 in March," the bureau said.

With unemployment expected to rise this year as a decade-long mining boom moves out of the construction phase, ANZ chief economist Ivan Colhoun said the data was encouraging.

"The Australian economy has improved a bit in the last three to six months," Colhoun said.