7 Apr 2011

Australia's unemployment rate below 5%

7:37 pm on 7 April 2011

Australia's unemployment rate has fallen below 5%, with the creation of nearly 37,800 jobs in March.

The March unemployment rate was 4.92% - the lowest since December 2008.

According to seasonally adjusted figures released by the Bureau of Statistics, the fall was driven by the addition of 31,000 fulltime positions, the ABC reports.

Some 5700 part-time jobs were also added to the economy.

The March rise in employment followed a fall of 8,600 jobs in February, driven entirely by a slide in part-time work.