CANBERRA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Australia's unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent in February, according to official data, defying economists' expectations that it would remain steady.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said on Thursday that the official unemployment rate hit 4.3 percent in February, up from 4.1 percent in January.

According to the ABS, the number of employed Australians rose by 48,900 between January and February, which was offset by the number of unemployed Australians increasing by 35,000, or 5.6 percent, in the same period.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Australian Associated Press reported earlier on Thursday that economists were expecting the unemployment rate to remain at 4.1 percent in February.

The increase in employment was driven by part-time employment, which grew by 79,400, while the number of people employed full-time decreased by 30,500.

As a result, the total number of hours worked by Australians was 0.2 percent lower in February than in January.

The participation rate, which measures the proportion of the working-age population who are either employed or actively looking for work, rose from 66.7 percent to 66.9 percent. ■