A slowdown in job creation and advertisements plus more signs business conditions are deteriorating is increasing pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Morrison government to move quickly to safeguard the national economy.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics on Thursday reported just a net 500 jobs were created in June, with the unemployment rate, on the trend measure, inching up for its fifth consecutive month to sit at 5.2 per cent.

Construction and retail are suffering the most, with signs of unemployment lifting in both sectors. Credit:Louise Kennerley

It is now at its highest point since August last year despite solid growth in total employment. Of the 248,300 jobs created over the past year, 84 per cent have been in Victoria and NSW.

But both states are starting to show signs of slowing, with NSW's jobless rate increasing marginally every month since February. While the country has added 155,000 jobs since December, the number of unemployed has also swelled by 45,000.