Seasonally adjusted joblessness increased by 331 or 0.3 percent in January to 122,391. However, this was a small enough rise to leave the unemployment rate unchanged at 2.7 percent. Unadjusted, however, the rate was 3.0 percent and still 0.5 percentage points above its level a year ago.

Looking ahead, vacancies increased 15.9 percent on the month to 44,198, an unadjusted drop of 0.1 percent from January 2024 after a 14.0 percent fall in December.

The unemployment rate measures the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labour force. Both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted monthly data are provided.

Like the employment data, unemployment data help to gauge the current state as well as the future direction of the economy. Employment data are categorized by sectors. This sector data can go a long way in helping investors determine in which economic sectors they intend to invest.

By tracking the jobs data, investors can sense the degree of tightness in the job market. If employment is tight it is a good bet that interest rates will rise and bond and stock prices will fall. In contrast, when job growth is slow or negative, then interest rates are likely to decline - boosting up bond and stock prices in the process.