Hundreds of thousands of unemployed Australians remain the federal government's focus, the jobs minister says, after new figures revealed a spike in the number of people in work.
Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday shows the number of people with a job leapt by 44,000 in August, more than double what economists had predicted.
The unemployment rate was steady at 5.3 per cent, while the participation rate increased slightly to 65.7 per cent, from 65.6 per cent.
The prime minister has embraced the data as further validation of his government's economic plan.
"Our plans for a stronger economy are working," Scott Morrison told parliament on Thursday.
But Jobs Minister Kelly O'Dwyer says there is more work to be done.
"The government remains acutely aware...that there are still more than 700,000 Australians who remain unemployed, without the security and dignity of work, and that significant challenges lie ahead," she told reporters.
"Our focus is on those people, how to help those people to be able to get a job."
She reiterated the government's view that wage growth will come in time as economic and employment growth continues.
Labor said government dysfunction was preventing wage growth.
"Australians deserve a pay rise...they're not getting it because this government is fighting amongst itself," spokesman Brendan O'Connor told reporters.
Mr O'Connor said there is also "a long way to go" on jobs, with more than a million Australians not getting as many hours as they would like.
Underemployment fell to 8.1 per cent in August, from 8.5 per cent in May.
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