Unemployment drops to 5.5% in September

Unemployment in Australia fell to 5.5 per cent in September, according to the latest official figures.

Australia's unemployment fell to 5.5% in May, latest official figures show, beating expectations. (AAP) Source: AAP

Australia's unemployment rate fell to 5.5 per cent for September from 5.6 per cent in August, official figures show, beating market expectations.

The total number of people with jobs rose by 19,800 over the previous month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.

Full-time employment rose by 6,100, while the number of new part-time employees was up 13,700.

The participation rate - the number of people employed or actively looking for a job - was steady at 65.2 per cent.

The Australian dollar has jumped on the figures, rising to 78.65 US cents at 1138 AEDT, from 78.48 US cents immediately before the 1130 AEDT release of the date.