According to the Bureau of Statistics, Australia’s jobless rate was steady at 3.5% in December. Economists had tipped unemployment to come in at 3.4%, so it missed expectations after an estimated 14,600 jobs were lost last month. That’s well below the 25-35,000 new jobs predicted to be created… Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the result came down to slowing growth from the worsening global economic headwinds and higher interest rates, but he says Oz is still in an “incredibly strong position”. Economists say the worse-than-expected results will do little to dissuade the Reserve Bank’s board from further interest rate hikes when it next meets next month, and some warn the jobless rate could rise as economic challenges mount.