Australian jobs report for December data is here

The local press (Fairfax) here in Australia have gathered together analyst responses to Australian employment data today

I've summarized them somewhat, and also bolded some bits:

JPMorgan chief economist Stephen Walters:

  • Across the whole labour force there's been an increase in hours worked it means we've entered the year in pretty solid footing in the labour market
  • Whenever the Australian dollar is below 0.70 cents the RBA is probably pretty content to let the currency work for them rather than lowering interest rate

RBC Capital Markets strategist Michael Turner:

  • The trend looks to have improved in the second half of the year
  • For the RBA, the fact the job market is improving is very important to them. So net-net, between that and what is happening offshore, I don't think there will be a hugely dovish tone (at the RBA's next meeting) in February
  • We still expect two interest rate cuts this year

NAB global head of research in global markets Peter Jolly:

  • I think it's too good to believe but it is consistent with an improvement in the labour market in 2015
  • The big point to make is, yes the labour market has improved, the economy is on a more sure footing

TD Securities chief Asia-Pacifi macro strategist Annette Beacher:

  • The highlight in our view is three consecutive decent increases in full-time employment, usually associated with a stronger economy
  • Of the near-200k jobs added in the second half of 2015, around 120k were full-time. This is good news as part-time employment has been doing the heavy lifting for years now

CBA chief economist Michael Blythe:

  • The jobs data will be well received by the RBA ... today's data and the improvement over the past six months is something we think will keep them sitting on the sidelines over 2016
  • A pretty good sign for the economy overall

ANZ economist Justin Fabo:

  • These numbers should be viewed positively
  • Both employment and the unemployment rate beat expectations
  • While sample rotation has boosted jobs growth in recent months, and may again in January, labour market trends remain positive
  • Job ads point to employment growth remaining relatively solid over the next 3-6 months
  • The RBA is on hold for some time
  • The focus for monetary policy should be on the 12-18 month outlook and that's where we continue to see some challenges from the shaky global backdrop and a loss of growth momentum in housing and from the lower AUD