Labour Account Australia

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The Australian Labour Account provides quarterly and annual time series for four quadrants: Jobs, People, Hours and Payments

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Reference period
June 2023
Released
8/09/2023
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Key statistics

In seasonally adjusted terms for the June quarter 2023:

  • Total jobs increased 0.7% to 15.8 million.
  • Filled jobs increased 0.8% to 15.4 million.
  • Secondary jobs increased 0.2% to 1.1 million.
  • Proportion of vacant jobs decreased to 2.7%.
  • Multiple job-holders increased 0.8% to 958,600.
  • Hours worked increased 2.5% to 5.9 billion hours.
 
 Jun-23Quarterly changeQuarterly change (%)Annual changeAnnual change (%)
Jobs     
Total jobs15,848,000104,2000.7%449,6002.9%
Filled jobs15,423,600117,3000.8%498,7003.3%
Job vacancies424,400-13,100-3.0%-49,100-10.4%
Main jobs14,356,500115,1000.8%434,5003.1%
Secondary jobs1,067,1002,2000.2%64,2006.4%
Proportion of vacant jobs2.7%-0.1 ptsna-0.4 ptsna
People     
Employed people14,343,80042,9000.3%436,4003.1%
Multiple job-holders958,6007,7000.8%63,0007.0%
Multiple job-holding rate6.7%0.0 ptsna0.2 ptsna
Hours     
Hours actually worked5,906.0 million141.3 million2.5%325.9 million5.8%
Payments     
Average income per employed person$22,825.60$297.701.3%$870.104.0%

All data are shown in seasonally adjusted terms

Indicative state level jobs and hours worked estimates from the Labour Account

This release includes an article providing indicative state and territory level industry estimates for the Labour Account jobs and hours worked series (see Modelled indicative state and territory level industry jobs and hours worked estimates).

Guide to labour statistics

To learn more about our different labour measures, their purpose and how to use them, see our Guide to labour statistics. It provides summary information on labour market topics including Industry employment data.

Data impacts and changes

Revisions this quarter

Data in the four quadrants of the Labour Account have been revised from the previously published estimates.

Revisions may be attributable to a range of factors including revisions to quarterly source data. These include:

  • revisions to Overseas Arrivals and Departures data, and
  • revisions to data from the quarterly Australian National Accounts.

Further information on revisions in the Labour Account can be found in Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods.

Revisions to published estimates are shown in Table 22 in the Data downloads section.

Change to the release of annual Labour Accounts data

The Labour Account has historically been published as a combination of quarterly and annual data (for industry divisions) and annual financial year data (for industry division and sub-divisions). The annual data was updated each year between quarterly releases in around November, resulting in a misalignment of the quarterly and annual series.

To address this misalignment and provide additional information at the detailed industry sub-division level, the ABS has ceased producing separate annual datasets and has begun publishing industry sub-division data in Data Explorer on a quarterly basis. This information can be used to produce financial year (or calendar year) totals.

The data now available to download are:

  • Time series spreadsheets containing quarterly estimates (seasonally adjusted and trend) by industry division and total all industries; and
  • Data Explorer file containing quarterly estimates (original only) by industry sub-division, division and total all industries.

As outlined in Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods, the methods used by the Labour Account to annualise quarterly data varies for each quadrant depending on whether the data are stock or flow estimates. The Jobs and Persons quadrants contain stock data which are measured at a point in time (the end month of each quarter). We recommend data in these quadrants be annualised using an average of the four quarterly estimates. The Volume (Hours) and Payments quadrants contain flow data which represent a measure of activity over the whole quarter (e.g. hours worked over the whole quarter). For these quadrants, the annual estimate will be the sum of the four quarterly estimates.

Given the small values associated with some detailed industry data at the sub-division level, users should be mindful of drawing insights from particular quarterly variations and are encouraged to view the data in respect of longer term trends.

Upcoming change to seasonally adjusted and trend series

Since the June quarter 2020 Labour Account release, the ABS has used a ‘forward factors’ method for seasonal adjustment which was better suited to managing the significant disruptions to the time series during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time the ABS also suspended trend series.

In recent times, time series have reverted to more usual seasonal patterns with less outliers and variability. The ABS expects to reinstate Labour Account trend estimates and revert to ‘concurrent’ seasonal adjustment with the September quarter 2023 release on 8 December 2023.

Jobs

In seasonally adjusted terms for the June quarter 2023:

  • Filled jobs increased by 0.8%, following a 1.0% rise in the March quarter 2023. Filled jobs grew by 3.3% through the year.
  • The number of main jobs increased by 115,100 (or 0.8%).
  • The number of multiple job-holders increased by 0.8%.
  • The proportion of vacant jobs decreased to 2.7%.
  • The number of public sector jobs decreased by 0.2%, while the number of private sector jobs increased by 1.0%.

Total jobs

In seasonally adjusted terms for the June quarter 2023, the total number of jobs increased by 104,200 (or 0.7%). This consisted of a decrease of 13,100 job vacancies and an increase of 117,300 filled jobs.

Filled jobs

In seasonally adjusted terms for the June quarter 2023, the number of filled jobs increased by 117,300 to 15.4 million. 

Filled jobs, by industry, June quarter 2023, seasonally adjusted
Filled jobs ('000)Quarterly change (%)Annual change (%)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)466.2-0.5-1.5
Mining (B)216.52.94.3
Manufacturing (C)921.31.6-1.1
Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)135.91.83.9
Construction (E)1,279.83.90.8
Wholesale trade (F)607.1-0.17.9
Retail trade (G)1,496.8-0.11.8
Accommodation and food services (H)1,285.0-3.77.9
Transport, postal and warehousing (I)724.60.25.8
Information media and telecommunications (J)201.50.03.4
Financial and insurance services (K)495.8-1.71.5
Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)319.93.82.9
Professional, scientific and technical services (M)1,319.43.10.4
Administrative and support services (N)989.4-2.5-0.2
Public administration and safety (O)789.60.42.5
Education and training (P)1,219.73.49.3
Health care and social assistance (Q)2,100.90.76.4
Arts and recreation services (R)290.610.211.3
Other services (S)563.4-0.5-3.2
Total all industries15,423.60.83.3

Main and secondary jobs

In seasonally adjusted terms for the June quarter 2023:

  • Main jobs increased by 115,100 (or 0.8%).
  • Secondary jobs increased by 2,200 (or 0.2%). 
  • The proportion of secondary jobs to filled jobs decreased to 6.9%.

The three industries with the highest number of secondary jobs were Education and training, Administrative and support services, and Health care and social assistance.

Secondary jobs can be held by people who have their main job in the same or a different industry. 

Statistical discrepancy - Filled jobs

The Labour Account compiles independent estimates of the number of filled jobs from both a household and business perspective. The difference between these two estimates is referred to as the "statistical discrepancy".  The household estimates of filled jobs are considered the best measure of labour market activity total economy level, while business sources are considered more reliable estimating the distribution of jobs across industries. As a result, the Labour Account filled jobs estimates are constrained (equivalent) to the household side.

The discrepancy between the two sources is reduced to zero through the balancing processes of the Labour Account, producing a single harmonised or "balanced" number of filled jobs. The balanced estimate of filled jobs incorporates the advantage of the industry distribution derived from business side data, whilst constraining to a total economy estimate sourced from household side data. In original terms the discrepancy between household sources and business sources was 586,200 jobs in the June quarter 2023, or 3.8% of the household estimate.

While the business sources have been showing stronger jobs growth over the COVID period, this hasn't impacted on overall Labour Accounts aggregates given the Labour Account jobs estimates are constrained to the household side.

Balancing decisions for Rental, hiring and real estate services and Other services were mostly based on household survey sources. All other industries were mostly based on business survey sources.

People

In seasonally adjusted terms for the June quarter 2023:

  • The total number of employed people increased by 0.3% to 14.3 million. 
  • The number of multiple job-holders increased by 0.8%.
  • Unemployed people decreased by 11,300 people to 503,500.

The three industries with the highest number of employed people in the June quarter 2023 were Health care and social assistance, Retail trade, and Professional, scientific and technical services.

Hours

In seasonally adjusted terms for the June quarter 2023, the total number of hours actually worked increased by 141.3 million hours (or 2.5%) to 5.9 billion hours.

The three industries with the highest number of hours actually worked in the June quarter 2023 were Health care and social assistance, Construction, and Professional, scientific and technical services.

Payments

The Labour Account Payments quadrant presents the costs incurred by enterprises in employing labour, and the income received by people from its provision. Total income consists of compensation of employees and labour income from self-employment. The addition of other related costs to employers to total income will derive total labour costs.

In seasonally adjusted terms for the June quarter 2023:

  • Total labour income increased by $5,237 million (or 1.6%) to $327,406 million. 
  • The average labour income per employed person increased by 1.3% to $22,826.
  • Total compensation of employees increased by 2.0% to $298,264 million.
  • Labour income from self-employment decreased by 1.7% to $29,141 million.
  • Total labour costs increased by $5,597 million (1.6%) to $349,698 million. 

The three industries with the highest total labour income in the June quarter 2023 were Health care and social assistance, Professional, scientific and technical services, and Construction.

Data downloads

Download all (11.79 MB)

Time series spreadsheets

Quarterly estimates for Jobs, People, Hours and Payments by Industry Division and Total All Industries.

Data files

Data Explorer datasets

Quarterly original estimates for Jobs, People, Hours and Payments by Industry Subdivision, Division and Total All Industries.

Labour Account balanced - Balanced quarterly original estimates for Jobs, People, Hours and Payments by Industry Subdivision, Division and Total All Industries.

For information on Data Explorer and how it works, see the Data explorer user guide.

Article archive

Previous feature articles

Modelling indicative state level industry jobs estimates from the Labour Account (June 2022)

Status in employment by industry (June 2021)

An overview of ABS statistics on multiple job-holding (March 2021)

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the Labour Account: a year since the onset of COVID-19 (March 2021)

Public sector's share of jobs decreases over the past nine years (September 2019)

Jobs growth over the past 25 years (September 2019)

Secondary jobs and multiple job holders in the Labour Account (June 2019)

How many jobs are there in Professional, scientific and technical Services? (June 2019)

Proportion of vacant jobs - a new labour market measure (March 2019)

How many jobs are there in Manufacturing? (March 2019)

The potential for public and private sector information (December 2018)

Proportion of vacant jobs - a new way to analyse the labour market (September 2017)

Impact of the Labour Account on productivity estimates (September 2017)

Construction industry (September 2017)

Education and training industry (September 2017)

Health care and social assistance industry (September 2017)

 

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 6150.0.55.003.

Methodology

Labour Account Australia methodology, June 2023

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