Australian economy adds twice as many jobs as expected as unemployment rate rises to 3.7%

Employers added a net 54,900 jobs in October as economy's resilience contributed to tight labour market

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Australia's employers added more jobs than expected last month as the economy's resilience contributed to a tight labour market - keeping open the possibility of another Reserve Bank interest rate rise.

The unemployment rate rose in October to 3.7%, with a net 54,900 jobs added for the month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Thursday. Of those, 17,000 were full-time positions.