Employment in Australia rose 2.9%, or 366,000 jobs in November, according to data released Thursday by the Australian Bureau of Labor Statistics. Reuters reported that forecasts had called for only 205,000 jobs.

“The latest data shows the extent of recovery between early October and early November in jurisdictions coming out of Delta lockdowns,” said Bjorn Jarvis, head of labour statistics at the ABS. “This included the period of relatively rapid recovery in the second half of October that we saw in payroll jobs data.”

Jarvis noted the easing of Covid restrictions in New South Wales and Victoria had a large influence on the national figures.

The recovery in employment between October and November was underpinned by a large number of people remaining attached to their jobs through the Delta lockdowns.

“Most people remained attached to their job through the delta lockdowns and to a greater extent than we saw earlier in the pandemic,” Jarvis said. “This job attachment meant, as restrictions were eased, many people were able to quickly return to work.”

Meanwhile, unemployment fell by 69,000 people in November following an increase of 81,000 in October. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6% in November from 5.2% in October.