May 11 (Reuters) - Australian shares were set to open higher on Monday, tracking a firmer finish on Wall Street in the last session when investors cheered fewer-than-feared monthly job losses in the United States.
The U.S. economy lost 20.5 million jobs in April, the Labor Department reported on Friday, which was less than the 22 million forecast by a Reuters poll. local share price index futures YAPcm1 rose 0.7% or 50 points, a 10.7-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index .AXJO close. The benchmark finished 0.5% higher on Friday.
New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index .NZ50 rose 0.2% by 2227 GMT.