You wouldn't imagine, amid the current gloom, but thanks to strengthening employment figures flowing through to other sectors of the economy, Australia may have a shot at being - comparatively - an overall star economic performer in 2016. 
That's according to Altair chief economist Stephen Roberts, who reckons the economy ended 2015 on a bit of a high that could well extend into the current year.
"Annual gross domestic product growth, on the last available reading for the third quarter, accelerated to 2.5 per cent year-on-year, putting Australia in the top quartile of growth among developed economies," Mr Roberts said in a note to clients.
Meanwhile, an intensifying services sector, rather than the goods-producing part of the economy, is driving the 3 per cent growth in employment, he argued, pointing to the 344,200 people who have been added to the workforce.
The strong jobs growth, which pulled the unemployment rate down to 5.8 per cent in   November, has surprised even seasoned observers.
The improvement in the labour market had allowed people to borrow more to buy more houses and spend more in retail stores, Mr Roberts said.
"The lift in household spending through 2015 has been sufficient to counter growth-threatening 'black holes'," Mr Roberts wrote.
He was referring to declining mining investment, falling export commodity prices and weak wages growth.
If the services sector manages to reduce unemployment, there may be enough growth in household spending to maintain modest economic growth.
"In the low-growth environment that seems to be developing around the world in 2016, that may again make Australia something of a surprise star performer on the developed world economic growth league table for 2016," Mr Roberts said.
Economist David Bassanese said a downturn in housing construction could reduce its contribution to the Australian economy.
His colleague at JPMorgan, Stephen Walters, expected GDP to remain largely the same, and said if the growth was not much above trend, the jobless rate was unlikely to fall materially.