Youth unemployment against all ages
How unemployment among 15 to 24 year olds has moved against the rate for everyone, month by month, on the Bureau of Statistics' seasonally adjusted series.
What the rate is now
In September 2026, 11.1 per cent of young people in the labour force aged 15 to 24 were unemployed, on the Bureau of Statistics’ seasonally adjusted series.
For all ages it was 4.7 per cent.
How it has moved since 2023
The youth rate has climbed every September for three years. The rate for everyone has risen too, but far more slowly, so the gap between young people and the rest of the workforce has widened.
| September | 15 to 24 year olds | All ages | Youth as a multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7.9% | 3.6% | 2.2x |
| 2024 | 8.9% | 4% | 2.2x |
| 2025 | 10.5% | 4.4% | 2.4x |
| 2026 | 11.1% | 4.7% | 2.4x |
The last 13 months
Monthly figures move around; the trend is clearer over a year than from one month to the next.
| Month | 15 to 24 year olds | All ages |
|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 10.5% | 4.4% |
| October 2025 | 9.7% | 4.3% |
| November 2025 | 10.2% | 4.3% |
| December 2025 | 9.1% | 4.1% |
| January 2026 | 9.6% | 4.1% |
| February 2026 | 10.3% | 4.3% |
| March 2026 | 10.2% | 4.3% |
| April 2026 | 11% | 4.5% |
| May 2026 | 10.4% | 4.4% |
| June 2026 | 10.7% | 4.4% |
| July 2026 | 10.4% | 4.5% |
| August 2026 | 10.9% | 4.7% |
| September 2026 | 11.1% | 4.7% |
What happened to jobs in September 2026
Total employment fell by 39,300 in the month.
The fall was all in part-time work, down 73,700. Full-time employment rose by 34,400.
Who else is in the same job market
At 31 August 2026, 542,204 people held temporary skilled or graduate visas with full, uncapped work rights, on Home Affairs figures. They look for work in the same labour market school leavers and new graduates are entering.
For who holds which visa and what each allows, see temporary visa holders and what temporary visa holders work as.
What these figures do not show
- They do not show what causes youth unemployment. The Bureau of Statistics publishes no breakdown by cause, for migration, automation or anything else.
- The rates are seasonally adjusted estimates from a sample survey. A single month can move by several tenths of a point for no underlying reason, which is why the September-to-September comparison is shown.
- The Bureau revises past months as new data arrives. These figures are as published in the ABS Labour Force, Australia, September 2026 release.
- The temporary visa figure is a count of people with work rights, not of people working or competing for any particular job.
Common questions
What is the youth unemployment rate in Australia?
11.1 per cent for 15 to 24 year olds in September 2026, seasonally adjusted, on the ABS Labour Force, Australia, September 2026 release. The rate for all ages was 4.7 per cent.
How much higher is youth unemployment than the national rate?
2.4 times as high in September 2026: 11.1 per cent against 4.7 per cent.
Is youth unemployment rising?
Yes. It was 7.9 per cent in September 2023 and 11.1 per cent in September 2026, a rise of 3.2 percentage points. Over the same period the rate for all ages rose 1.1 points, from 3.6 to 4.7 per cent, so the gap between young people and everyone else has widened.
Did full-time jobs fall in September 2026?
No. Total employment fell by 39,300 in September 2026, but full-time employment rose by 34,400 while part-time employment fell by 73,700.
Does immigration cause youth unemployment?
The Bureau of Statistics publishes no breakdown of youth unemployment by cause, so these figures cannot show it either way. What is measured is that 542,204 people on temporary skilled and graduate visas held full work rights at 31 August 2026, in the same labour market young Australians are entering.
Cite this page
Mindiam (2026). Youth unemployment against all ages, Australia. Derived from ABS Labour Force, Australia, September 2026, seasonally adjusted series A84424185C and A84423050A. Retrieved from https://mindiam.com/figures/youth-unemployment
A machine-readable copy of the full monthly series is published at mindiam.com/figures/youth-unemployment/data.json as JSON.
Sources
- ABS Labour Force, Australia, September 2026, released 2026-10-15. Table 13 (15 to 24 year olds) and Table 1 (all ages).
- Department of Home Affairs, Temporary visa holders in Australia (BP0019), 31 August 2026.
Revision history
- 2026-10-30 Page created, on the ABS Labour Force, Australia, September 2026 release.
Related: temporary visa holders, housing capacity. Mindiam publishes opinion on migration policy in The National Interest. This page is a reference and takes no position. Corrections: mindiam.com/corrections.