New figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that industrial disputes have hit their lowest levels in nearly two years.

Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten, welcomed the figures, which show that disputes have fallen to their lowest levels since March 2011.

“This is equal to 2.5 working days lost per 1000 employees, which is the lowest industrial dispute rate since the March quarter of 2011,” Mr Shorten said.

“The dispute rate is also relatively low by recent historical standards, with an average of 6.1 working days lost per 1000 employees over the past decade,” Mr Shorten said.

The number of working days lost was a significant fall from the previous quarter, where there were 10.8 days lost per 1000 employees.