澳洲封锁结束，失业率下降

Reporter: Dario Valenza has more than doubled his workforce this year.

Dario: We started the year with 15, and we're looking to end the year with35.

Reporter: He isn't the only one hiring. 366,000 people started or resumeda job in November, pushing the participation rate above pre-pandemic levels. Theend of lockdown saw the number of hours worked rise pushing the underemploymentrate down two percentage points. All this added up to the second lowest unemploymentrate in 13 years, and it could drop further. The RBA is now predicting it'llget to 4% by the end of 2023.

Philip: These would be very very good outcomes, Australia has notexperienced a sustained period of unemployment levels at this at this levelsince the early 1970s.

Reporter: The demand for workers is strengthening and with borders open, bosseshope recruiting is going to get easier.

Dario: No change to the outer hull surface.

Reporter: Mr. Valenza's newest staff member moved from New Zealand twoweeks ago.

Aaron: I had a flag up on LinkedIn that um said I was open for work, and Igot a nice message from Dario asking about consider moving over to Sydney and joiningthe team.

Reporter: But experts don't think overseas workers will rush back whichcould be good news for people already in a job.

Belinda: We're going to be in a period of a constrained labor market forsome time and with that's going to come a buildup of wages pressure.

Reporter: As new variants like omicron take hold Australia's economicrecovery rests on people not being locked out of their jobs, it's somethingworkers employers and the government can only hope for. Rachel Papasoni ABC news.