Aussie unemployment at 30-year low

CANBERRA, Australia, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Unemployment in Australia held steady at 4.6 percent in December -- a 30-year low.

The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show the jobless rate last month was unchanged from the previous month.

The bureau said 44,000 positions -- 18,000 of them full-time jobs -- were created during last month.

However, the number of people looking for work also increased.

Unemployment among the states was highest in Tasmania at 6.1 percent, a fractional increase from November, the Bureau said.

Economists said the unemployment figures will increase pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise interest rates.