Employment rises by 64,800 in December

* Underemployment rate (employed people seeking additional work) - 6.6 per cent versus 7.5 per cent

* Employment - up 64,800

* Full-time positions - up 41,500

* Part-time employment - up 23,300

* Participation rate (people working or looking for work) - 66.1 per cent versus 66.1 per cent

* Monthly hours worked in all jobs - up 1.0 per cent or 18 million hours

STATE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES:

NSW - 4.0 per cent in October versus 4.6 per cent in November

VIC - 4.2 per cent versus 4.7 per cent

QLD - 4.7 per cent versus 4.8 per cent

SA - 3.9 per cent versus 4.6 per cent

WA - 3.4 per cent versus 3.8 per cent

TAS - 3.9 per cent versus 5.1 per cent

NT - 4.2 per cent versus 4.4 per cent

ACT - 4.5 per cent versus 3.8 per cent

(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics)