Building consent stats released this morning show a 3.1 per cent jump in the number of new homes authorised for construction in November - the highest level since May 2008.

Business confidence stalled in December, according to the latest Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion.

The number of jobs advertised in major Australian newspapers and online rose by 6 per cent in December, the strongest monthly growth since May 2007.

After 10 years of war for talent, the Noughties ended with unemployment at a nine-year high of 6.5 per cent.

Unions and the Labour Party have reacted angrily to a Government decision to allow workers to cash in their fourth week of holidays.