A surprisingly large number of new part-time jobs has pulled the unemployment rate down to 5.7 per cent, taking some pressure off the Reserve Bank of Australia to cut interest rates further.

The total number of people with jobs rose by 26,200 in July, as the economy added 71,600 part-time jobs which more than made up for the loss of 45,400 full-time jobs, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.

That pulled the unemployment rate down to 5.7 per cent, from 5.8 per cent in June. Economists had expected just 10,000 new jobs and an unemployment rate of 5.8 per cent.

The participation rate remained steady at 64.9 per cent.