Unemployment falls to 4.4pc as household spending recovers

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The jobless rate has dropped to 4.4 per cent and monthly household spending has jumped higher than expected, in a sign the economy may not be slowing enough to ease inflation, supporting a case for more rate increases by the Reserve Bank.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics said household spending rose 1.3 per cent in May, reversing a 1.1 per cent decline in April. The result was higher than the 0.5 per cent economists had expected and was driven by consumers spending more on hotels, cafes, restaurants and clothing.

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