Unemployed people as a share of the labour force across Australian states and territories; trend %, May 2026.
Australian states and territories are ranked by unemployment rate in May 2026. Each rate is unemployed people as a share of the labour force and uses the common ABS trend basis. Tasmania ranks highest at 5.0%, followed by Victoria at 4.9%. Queensland ranks lowest at 3.9%, leaving a 1.1 percentage-point range across the eight jurisdictions.
| Rank | Entry | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tasmania | 5.0% | May 2026 |
| 2 | Victoria | 4.9% | May 2026 |
| 3 | Northern Territory | 4.5% | May 2026 |
| 4 | Western Australia | 4.4% | May 2026 |
| 5 | New South Wales | 4.3% | May 2026 |
| 6 | South Australia | 4.1% | May 2026 |
| 7 | Australian Capital Territory | 4.0% | May 2026 |
| 8 | Queensland | 3.9% | May 2026 |
Source 1: Labour Force, Australia, May 2026
Publisher: Australian Bureau of Statistics
Dataset/table: Labour market indicators by state and territory
Units: percent
Date checked: 2026-07-15
Evidence: Supports May 2026 trend unemployment rate values for all eight states and territories.
Trend figures are used for all rows so the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory remain comparable with the six states. Monthly survey figures can be revised as new observations are added.
The May 2026 trend rate for each jurisdiction is selected from the common ABS states and territories summary and ranked from highest to lowest.
Every row uses the same ABS Labour Force release, May 2026 period, trend adjustment basis and percent unit.
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