Unemployment in Australia remained unchanged at 5.7 percent in October despite the loss of nearly 28,000 full-time jobs as the mining investment boom unwinds.

Economists had been expecting a figure of 5.8 percent, which would have matched the four-year high reached in August. The figure for September was revised upwards from 5.6 percent.

A total of 27,900 full-time jobs were lost, largely offset by part-time employment increasing by 28,900.

The participation rate -- the proportion of the population who have a job or are actively seeking one, and which is often interpreted as evidence of jobseekers giving up on looking for work -- was unchanged at 64.8 percent.

Unemployment numbers are seen as a key indicator for the Reserve Bank as it considers monetary policy. The cash rate has been cut by 225 basis points since November 2011.

In holding interest rates at their record 2.50 percent low on Tuesday, central bank governor Glenn Stevens noted that "the unemployment rate has edged higher".

"This is likely to persist in the near term, as the economy adjusts to lower levels of mining investment," he said.

Slowing growth in key export market China and plunging commodity prices have hit Australia's mining sector, and the central bank has warned the decade-long Asia-driven resources investment boom has peaked.

Source: AFP