Portfolio — 16 April 2026

Australia's labour market hit a new employment high in March 2026, with 14.77 million Australians at work — the headline figure underpinning Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth's media release response to the ABS data [TA-260416-dewr-4e4783812865] [TA-260416-dewr-86dfdab27457]. The month added 17,900 jobs and the annual gain reached 258,800, while the unemployment rate held at 4.3 per cent.

The participation rate eased marginally to 66.8 per cent but remains near its record high; women's participation reached a record level alongside record female employment.

Rishworth framed the result as evidence that Australia is entering a period of global uncertainty from a position of economic strength [TA-260416-dewr-86dfdab27457]. Her media release pointed to several supporting indicators: underemployment remains low, total hours worked are at record levels, and job advertisements have stayed relatively stable despite the impact of Middle East conflict on global conditions.

The Treasurer reinforced this positioning, stating that the government has created more than 1.2 million jobs since its election, with four in five drawn from the private sector, and described the unemployment rate as reflecting economic resilience against global headwinds.

The coordinated framing across both ministers — 'position of strength' entering external uncertainty — is the dominant messaging signal of the day. The resilience narrative is anchored in concrete labour market indicators rather than forward projections, which gives it some insulation from near-term volatility in global data. Policy staff should note that the media releases do not address the Workforce Australia program or any active employment-services instrument, meaning the comms focus is squarely on aggregate labour market outcomes rather than program delivery.