Monthly change periods presented in this release continue to reflect change between the reference date and the four weeks prior to it. There are five weeks of data since the previous reference date (week ending 12 March 2022).
Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia
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Payroll jobs and wages estimates, sourced from Single Touch Payroll (STP) data
Reference period
Week ending 16 April 2022
Released
12/05/2022
Key statistics
Between the weeks ending 2 April 2022 and 16 April 2022:
- Payroll jobs, down 0.3%
- Total wages, down 1.7%
Revisions
This release sees higher than usual revisions in January 2022, as the 16 week imputation retention threshold passes through this period. Revisions mostly reflect the removal of previously imputed records, which saw some over-imputation during a period of strong seasonal decline. Users should exercise caution when referring to estimates around this period.
Change periods
This release presents percentage change between the weeks ending 16 April 2022 and:
- 2 April 2022, for fortnight
- 19 March 2022, for month
- 17 April 2021, for year
This differs for employment size estimates which are month lagged.
National
In the fortnight to 16 April 2022:
- Payroll jobs decreased by 0.3%, compared to a decrease of 0.5% in the previous fortnight
- Total wages paid decreased by 1.7%, compared to a decreased of 0.8% in the previous fortnight
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll jobs | -0.3 | -0.8 | 2.0 |
| Total wages | -1.7 | -2.5 | 7.4 |
Estimates of changes throughout this release are calculated using un-rounded index values. They may be different from, but are more accurate than, movements obtained from the rounded index values.
- Indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020.
- Payroll jobs and wages data during June and July see a greater variation in business payroll reporting around the end of financial year. For more information, see Variation in revisions in Data variability and revisions.
State and territory
Payroll jobs
All geographical areas in this release represent the residential address of the jobholder.
In the fortnight to 16 April 2022, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:
- New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory (all down 0.4%)
- South Australia and Northern Territory (both down 0.3%)
State and territory percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 16 April 2022
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This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 16 April 2022, by the state and territory of the jobholder's residential address.
- New South Wales (-0.4%)
- Victoria (-0.4%)
- Queensland (-0.4%)
- South Australia (-0.3%)
- Western Australia (-0.1%)
- Tasmania (-0.4%)
- Northern Territory (-0.3%)
- Australian Capital Territory (-0.4%)
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | -0.4 | -1.0 | 0.2 |
| Victoria | -0.4 | -0.7 | 2.8 |
| Queensland | -0.4 | -0.9 | 2.7 |
| South Australia | -0.3 | -0.8 | 2.4 |
| Western Australia | -0.1 | -0.4 | 3.3 |
| Tasmania | -0.4 | -0.6 | 3.6 |
| Northern Territory | -0.3 | -1.3 | 1.9 |
| Australian Capital Territory | -0.4 | -0.5 | 4.3 |
| Australia | -0.3 | -0.8 | 2.0 |
Total wages
In the fortnight to 16 April 2022, the largest changes in total wages paid were:
- Tasmania, down 3.0%
- Western Australia, down 2.8%
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | -2.4 | -3.2 | 6.0 |
| Victoria | -1.7 | -1.8 | 7.6 |
| Queensland | 0.0 | -1.5 | 8.7 |
| South Australia | -1.6 | -1.6 | 7.0 |
| Western Australia | -2.8 | -4.5 | 9.2 |
| Tasmania | -3.0 | -2.1 | 6.2 |
| Northern Territory | -0.7 | -1.0 | 5.5 |
| Australian Capital Territory | -0.5 | -0.1 | 9.0 |
| Australia | -1.7 | -2.5 | 7.4 |
Sub-state - payroll jobs
Time series estimates of payroll jobs by sub-state regions (Statistical Area 4 (SA4), Statistical Area 3 (SA3) and Greater Capital City Area (GCCSA) regions) are presented as index values in Table 5 of the Data downloads.
For more information on the geography used in this release, see the Glossary.
GCCSA regions percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 16 April 2022
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This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 16 April 2022, by the GCCSA region of the jobholder's residential address.
- Greater Sydney (-0.6%)
- Rest of New South Wales (-0.4%)
- Greater Melbourne (-0.5%)
- Rest of Victoria (-0.1%)
- Greater Brisbane (-0.4%)
- Rest of Queensland (-0.6%)
- Greater Adelaide (-0.4%)
- Rest of South Australia (-0.5%)
- Greater Perth (0%)
- Rest of Western Australia (-0.6%)
- Greater Hobart (-0.7%)
- Rest of Tasmania (-0.4%)
- Greater Darwin (-0.5%)
- Rest of Northern Territory (-0.1%)
- Australian Capital Territory (-0.4%)
Footnotes
The ACT only has one GCCSA region for the entire Territory.
Sex and age group
Persons aged 15-19 years old by sex indexes can be affected by a higher proportion of records with unknown sex than other age group indexes. For more information, see the Update of jobholder characteristics in the historical Methods review.
Payroll jobs
In the fortnight to 16 April 2022, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:
- worked by males and females, both down 0.4%
- worked by persons aged 70 and over, down 1.6%
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Males | -0.4 | -1.1 | -0.8 |
| Females | -0.4 | -0.8 | 1.5 | |
| Age group (years) | 15-19 | 0.7 | -3.0 | 2.0 |
| 20-29 | -0.3 | -1.0 | 1.6 | |
| 30-39 | -0.3 | -0.6 | 1.6 | |
| 40-49 | -0.4 | -0.7 | 1.5 | |
| 50-59 | -0.5 | -0.5 | 1.9 | |
| 60-69 | -0.8 | -0.1 | 5.2 | |
| 70 and over | -1.6 | -0.1 | 8.5 | |
| All persons | -0.3 | -0.8 | 2.0 |
a. Persons with 'unknown' sex and age are only included in the calculation of All persons indexes. For more information, see Inclusion of unknown characteristics in How data are processed.
- Indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020.
Total wages
In the fortnight to 16 April 2022, the largest changes in total wages paid were:
- worked by males, down 2.5%
- worked by persons aged 15-19, up 9.6%
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Males | -2.5 | -3.5 | 4.7 |
| Females | -0.8 | -1.4 | 9.4 | |
| Age group (years) | 15-19 | 9.6 | 4.2 | 18.9 |
| 20-29 | 0.7 | -0.4 | 8.2 | |
| 30-39 | -1.5 | -2.2 | 6.5 | |
| 40-49 | -3.1 | -4.0 | 6.4 | |
| 50-59 | -2.9 | -3.5 | 6.9 | |
| 60-69 | -2.3 | -1.8 | 9.9 | |
| 70 and over | -2.8 | -0.1 | 14.9 | |
| All persons | -1.7 | -2.5 | 7.4 |
a. Persons with 'unknown' sex and age are only included in the calculation of All persons indexes. For more information, see Inclusion of unknown characteristics in How data are processed.
5 year age groups - Payroll jobs
Time series estimates of payroll jobs by 5 year age groups by sex are presented as index values in Table 8 of the Data downloads.
Industry
Payroll jobs
In the fortnight to 16 April 2022, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:
- Other services, down 2.8%
- Accommodation and food services, down 2.0%
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 0.1 | -0.6 | -2.7 |
| Mining | 0.7 | 1.9 | 6.4 |
| Manufacturing | -0.9 | -1.3 | -3.3 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | -0.2 | 0.2 | 1.0 |
| Construction | 0.5 | -0.4 | -2.3 |
| Wholesale trade | 0.7 | -0.8 | -1.5 |
| Retail trade | -0.2 | -0.6 | 0.5 |
| Accommodation and food services | -2.0 | -5.4 | -14.9 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | -0.9 | -2.2 | -2.2 |
| Information media and telecommunications | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Financial and insurance services | -1.7 | -2.4 | 2.0 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | -1.9 | -2.4 | -2.5 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 1.3 | 0.7 | 4.6 |
| Administrative and support services | -1.0 | -1.0 | 1.5 |
| Public administration and safety | -0.7 | -1.1 | 0.9 |
| Education and training | -0.3 | 0.7 | 6.3 |
| Health care and social assistance | 0.4 | 0.3 | 3.3 |
| Arts and recreation services | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.9 |
| Other services | -2.8 | -3.4 | -4.7 |
| All industries | -0.3 | -0.8 | 2.0 |
Some industries experience pronounced seasonality in either payroll jobs and wages or both. For more information, see Seasonality in Data variability and revisions.
- Industries ranked by percentage change in the latest fortnight.
Total wages
In the fortnight to 16 April 2022, the largest changes in total wages paid were:
- Financial and insurance services, down 11.5%
- Mining, down 8.7%
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | -2.2 | -2.3 | 1.2 |
| Mining | -8.7 | -11.6 | 17.9 |
| Manufacturing | -4.0 | -6.6 | 1.1 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | -4.1 | -5.9 | 4.3 |
| Construction | -1.1 | -1.2 | -1.2 |
| Wholesale trade | -4.1 | -6.0 | 4.1 |
| Retail trade | 3.6 | 2.4 | 4.1 |
| Accommodation and food services | 4.7 | 0.0 | -1.6 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | -0.5 | -0.3 | 3.1 |
| Information media and telecommunications | -1.6 | -0.4 | 5.3 |
| Financial and insurance services | -11.5 | -14.3 | 5.1 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | -3.6 | -4.0 | 3.0 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 0.3 | 0.0 | 11.8 |
| Administrative and support services | -4.1 | -3.0 | 5.6 |
| Public administration and safety | -1.1 | 0.0 | 5.7 |
| Education and training | -0.8 | -0.2 | 8.5 |
| Health care and social assistance | 1.8 | 0.8 | 9.1 |
| Arts and recreation services | 3.1 | -0.6 | 7.1 |
| Other services | -3.4 | -3.3 | 0.1 |
| All industries | -1.7 | -2.5 | 7.4 |
- Some industries experience pronounced seasonality in either payroll jobs and wages or both. For more information, see Seasonality in Data variability and revisions.
Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs
Time series estimates of payroll jobs by industry subdivision are presented as index values in Table 6 of the Data downloads. For more information on the industry classifications used in this release, see the Glossary.
Private sector industry - Payroll jobs
Time series estimates of payroll jobs by private sector for selected industry divisions are presented as index values in Table 9 of the Data downloads. More information on the sector classification can be found in Updating characteristics variables in How data are processed and the Glossary.
Employment size
The ABS has previously advised caution in using the most recent periods in payroll jobs by employment size indexes, which are subject to higher than usual revisions over a longer period - particularly for small employers. These indexes are more heavily influenced by changes in reporting behaviour and reporting obligations than other indexes, affecting the interpretation of underlying change in labour market conditions. To provide more stability at the end point of these series, a month lag in the reference week is in place.
These estimates present percentage change between the weeks ending 12 March 2022 and:
- 26 February 2022, for fortnight
- 12 February 2022, for month
- 13 March 2021, for year
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20 employees | 0.9 | -0.2 | 5.7 |
| 20-199 employees | 1.6 | 0.3 | -3.8 |
| 200 employees and over | 0.9 | 0.8 | 2.0 |
| All businesses | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.6 |
- Records with 'unknown' employment size are only included in the calculation of All businesses indexes. For more information, see Revisions in sub-populations in Data variability and revisions.
Distribution of characteristics
To aid in the interpretability of payroll job estimates, the following data download contains selected distributions of jobholder and employer characteristics by state and territory.
Records with 'unknown' characteristics have been excluded from the calculation of proportions. For more information on the source, impact and proportion of unknowns, see the Updating characteristic variables and Inclusion of unknown characteristics sections of How data are processed.
Table 20: Payroll jobs - characteristics distributions
Contains selected distributions of jobholder and employer characteristics.
Data files
Data downloads
Table 4: Payroll jobs and wages indexes
Data files
Table 5: Sub-state - Payroll jobs indexes
Data files
Table 6: Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs indexes
Data files
Table 7: Employer characteristics - Payroll jobs index
Data files
Table 8: Jobholder characteristics - Payroll jobs index
Data files
Table 9: Sector - Payroll jobs index
Data files
All data cubes
Data files
Upcoming changes
Expansion of outputs
Payroll job outputs will be expanded over 2022, however the availability in specific releases is yet to be determined. In alphabetical order, the planned outputs are:
- Employment size by industry division
- Industry division by Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4)
- Private sector by state/territory
- State by industry subdivision
Previous articles
Previously published articles and information of interest are linked below:
- Regional spotlight on New South Wales and Queensland provides maps of regional payroll job changes in the month to mid-March 2022
- Seasonality spotlight describes the most recent seasonal changes in the labour market
- Distribution of jobholder and employer characteristics provides selected distributions to aid in interpreting estimates produced from STP data
- A year of COVID-19 through payroll jobs and wages statistics reviews payroll jobs and wages in the year since Australia's 100th case of COVID-19
- Year-end data variability provides some context on seasonality and seasonal variation
- Secondary jobs provides insight into multiple jobholders
- Incorporating JobKeeper supported payments into Weekly payroll jobs and wages in Australia describes how JobKeeper payments are included
Previous catalogue number
This release previously used catalogue number 6160.0.55.001.