Australia central banker sees signs of labour market easing

[SYDNEY] A senior Australian central banker flagged on Monday (Oct 19) signs that the labour market was loosening faster than expected, but cautioned against reading too much into a month of data.

Christopher Kent, assistant governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), said that markets had trimmed the probability of another hike in interest rates after data last week showed unemployment unexpectedly hit a five-year high of 4.7 per cent in September – and that move made sense.

“I’d always be a bit cautious about the monthly numbers,” said Kent, who heads the RBA’s financial markets unit, at a banking conference.

He added that a key question facing policymakers was whether the loosening in the labour market was due to weakening demand or fast-rising labour costs.

He said that the quarterly inflation data due next week would help to answer the question. “But even having said that, there are indicators where the labour market has become less tight a bit faster than we might have forecast,” he noted.

The resilience in the labour market is one reason the RBA raised interest rates four times this year to 4.6 per cent to fight inflation, but the underlying measure stayed stubborn at 3.6 per cent for three straight months and risks are still tilted to the upside.

SEE ALSO

Australia central bank saw upside risks to inflation lingering after September rate hike

The Business Times turns 50

Five decades of milestones and moments that shaped Singapore’s success story - told through our headlines.

Explore BT50»

Markets imply a 30 per cent probability that the RBA will lift rates at its next policy meeting on Nov 2 and 3, but a move by December is about 50 per cent priced in. REUTERS