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 18 December 2021
Released
19/01/2022

Key statistics

Seasonality in the labour market influenced payroll jobs and wages at the end of 2021, which is further described in the Media release.

 

Between the weeks ending 4 December 2021 and 18 December 2021:

  • Payroll jobs, down 0.5%
  • Total wages, up 0.2%

Revisions

This release sees higher than usual revisions in September 2021, as the 16 week imputation retention threshold passes through this period. Increased lags in reporting in lockdown areas contributed to over-imputation in period of payroll job decline, which is now being removed as more complete data is received.

Users should exercise caution when referring to estimates across September 2021.  

National

In the fortnight to 18 December 2021:

  • Payroll jobs decreased by 0.5%, compared to an increase of 0.3% in the previous fortnight
  • Total wages paid increased by 0.2%, compared to an increase of 2.8% in the previous fortnight
Percentage change in payroll jobs and total wages
In the fortnight since 4 December 2021In the month since 20 November 2021In the year since 19 December 2020
Payroll jobs-0.5%-0.1%3.2%
Total wages0.2%3.0%9.0%

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.

  1. Indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020.
  2. 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 18 December 2021, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:

  • Northern Territory, down 0.8%
  • New South Wales, down 0.7%

State and territory percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 18 December 2021

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This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 18 December 2021, by the state and territory of the jobholder's residential address. 

- New South Wales (-0.7%)
- Victoria (-0.1%)
- Queensland (-0.5%)
- South Australia (-0.6%)
- Western Australia (-0.4%)
- Tasmania (-0.3%)
- Northern Territory (-0.8%)
- Australian Capital Territory (-0.5%)

Percentage change in payroll jobs, by state and territory
In the fortnight since 4 December 2021In the month since 20 November 2021In the year since 19 December 2020
New South Wales-0.7%-0.4%1.3%
Victoria-0.1%0.3%3.4%
Queensland-0.5%-0.2%4.5%
South Australia-0.6%-0.4%4.4%
Western Australia-0.4%0.0%5.3%
Tasmania-0.3%0.4%3.0%
Northern Territory-0.8%-1.2%4.9%
Australian Capital Territory-0.5%0.7%1.6%
Australia-0.5%-0.1%3.2%

Total wages

In the fortnight to 18 December 2021, the largest changes in total wages paid were:

  • Victoria, up 2.7%
  • Western Australia, down 1.6%
Percentage change in total wages, by state and territory
In the fortnight since 4 December 2021In the month since 20 November 2021In the year since 19 December 2020
New South Wales-1.3%2.2%6.9%
Victoria2.7%5.5%9.8%
Queensland0.4%2.4%9.8%
South Australia0.3%2.5%10.2%
Western Australia-1.6%1.2%10.7%
Tasmania1.1%4.1%8.9%
Northern Territory-1.3%0.5%9.6%
Australian Capital Territory1.2%2.5%9.3%
Australia0.2%3.0%9.0%

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 18 December 2021

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This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 18 December 2021, by the GCCSA region of the jobholder's residential address. 
- Greater Sydney (-0.8%)
- Rest of New South Wales (-1.2%)
- Greater Melbourne (-0.4%)
- Rest of Victoria (-0.3%)
- Greater Brisbane (-0.7%)
- Rest of Queensland (-0.8%)
- Greater Adelaide (-0.8%)
- Rest of South Australia (-0.8%)
- Greater Perth (-0.6%)
- Rest of Western Australia (-0.6%)
- Greater Hobart (0.0%)
- Rest of Tasmania (-0.7%)
- Greater Darwin (-0.9%)
- Rest of Northern Territory (-0.9%)
- Australian Capital Territory (-0.5%)

Footnotes

The ACT only has one GCCSA region for the entire Territory.

Sex and age group

Impact of unknown sex

Persons aged 15-19 years old by sex indexes are impacted by a higher proportion of records with unknown sex than other age group indexes. For more information, see the Impact of unknown sex section in Data variability and revisions

Payroll jobs

In the fortnight to 18 December 2021, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:

  • worked by males, down 0.8%
  • worked by persons aged 15-19, up 4.5%
Percentage change in payroll jobs, by sex and age group (a)
 In the fortnight since 4 December 2021In the month since 20 November 2021In the year since 19 December 2020
SexMales-0.8%-1.0%0.0%
Females-0.5%0.0%2.2%
Age group (years)15-194.5%6.8%8.6%
20-29-0.5%0.1%3.1%
30-39-0.9%-0.9%2.4%
40-49-0.9%-1.0%1.9%
50-59-0.9%-0.8%2.6%
60-69-1.0%-0.2%5.4%
70 and over-1.1%1.1%7.2%
All persons-0.5%-0.1%3.2%

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.

  1. Indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020.

Total wages

In the fortnight to 18 December 2021, the largest changes in total wages paid were:

●   worked by females, down 1.1%

●   worked by persons aged 15-19, up 10.3%

Percentage change in total wages, by sex and age group (a)
 In the fortnight since 4 December 2021In the month since 20 November 2021In the year since 19 December 2020
SexMales0.9%2.8%7.2%
Females-1.1%2.8%9.4%
Age group (years)15-1910.3%17.2%16.4%
20-290.7%2.6%9.6%
30-390.1%2.2%8.8%
40-490.1%2.8%8.2%
50-59-0.3%3.2%8.4%
60-69-1.2%3.4%10.2%
70 and over-1.7%4.0%11.0%
All persons0.2%3.0%9.0%

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.

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 18 December 2021, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:

  • Education and training, down 2.8%
  • Rental, hiring and real estate services, down 1.2%
Percentage change in payroll jobs, by industry (a)
In the fortnight since 4 December 2021In the month since 20 November 2021In the year since 19 December 2020
Agriculture, forestry and fishing-0.1%-0.6%-2.7%
Mining-0.1%-0.1%6.7%
Manufacturing-0.7%-1.6%-0.5%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services-0.5%-0.6%2.1%
Construction-1.1%-1.8%-0.5%
Wholesale trade-0.2%-0.7%0.4%
Retail trade0.7%1.9%1.7%
Accommodation and food services0.1%0.6%-6.0%
Transport, postal and warehousing-0.7%-0.3%-2.4%
Information media and telecommunications0.2%0.7%0.8%
Financial and insurance services-0.3%-0.5%5.1%
Rental, hiring and real estate services-1.2%-1.1%-0.1%
Professional, scientific and technical services-0.7%-1.1%3.7%
Administrative and support services-0.8%-0.5%1.5%
Public administration and safety-0.7%0.4%1.9%
Education and training-2.8%-1.6%6.5%
Health care and social assistance0.0%0.1%4.8%
Arts and recreation services1.2%4.3%4.1%
Other services-0.1%-0.5%-2.2%
All industries-0.5%-0.1%3.2%
  1. Some industries experience pronounced seasonality in either payroll jobs and wages or both. For more information, see Seasonality in Data variability and revisions.

  1. Industries ranked by percentage change in the latest fortnight. 

Total wages

In the fortnight to 18 December 2021, the largest changes in total wages paid were:

  • Education and training, down 12.8%
  • Financial and insurance services, up 11.7%
Percentage change in total wages, by industry(a)
In the fortnight since 4 December 2021In the month since 20 November 2021In the year since 19 December 2020
Agriculture, forestry and fishing3.9%5.2%7.4%
Mining-2.2%-2.0%9.8%
Manufacturing4.1%4.3%3.3%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services2.4%1.6%6.4%
Construction3.4%4.0%3.4%
Wholesale trade0.2%1.4%6.0%
Retail trade3.2%5.8%6.9%
Accommodation and food services1.7%4.9%0.0%
Transport, postal and warehousing-0.3%4.1%5.1%
Information media and telecommunications-1.0%-0.7%8.5%
Financial and insurance services11.7%21.1%21.4%
Rental, hiring and real estate services0.4%2.4%7.9%
Professional, scientific and technical services-0.2%0.2%11.2%
Administrative and support services-0.5%-1.7%9.4%
Public administration and safety-4.5%1.4%7.5%
Education and training-12.8%1.3%4.7%
Health care and social assistance0.3%0.0%8.5%
Arts and recreation services2.6%6.1%10.7%
Other services0.8%1.0%2.7%
All industries0.2%3.0%9.0%
  1. 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. 

In this release the latest week of data for these indexes is for the week ending 20 November 2021, which is also reflected in the percentage change estimates presented. 

Percentage change in payroll jobs by employment size(a)(b)
In the fortnight since 6 November 2021In the month since 23 October2021In the year since 21 November 2020
Under 20 employees0.5%1.7%7.2%
20-199 employees0.7%1.9%0.5%
200 employees and over0.9%1.8%3.2%
All businesses0.8%1.8%3.6%
  1. 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
  2. With respect to the week ending 20 November 2021.  

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, however as at mid-November 2021:

  • almost no payroll jobs have an unknown state or territory,
  • less than 0.5% of payroll jobs have an unknown age,
  • less than 1.5% of payroll jobs have an unknown industry, and
  • less than 3% of payroll jobs have unknown sex.

For more information on the source and impact of unknowns see the Updating characteristic variables section in How data are processed and Impact of unknown sex section in Data variability and revisions.

Table 20: Payroll jobs - characteristics distributions

Contains selected distributions of jobholder and employer characteristics, available in this release since 9 September 2021. 

Data downloads

Table 4: Payroll jobs and wages indexes

Table 5: Sub-state - Payroll jobs indexes

Table 6: Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs indexes

Table 7: Employer characteristics - Payroll jobs index

Contains estimates of payroll jobs by employment size, including state and territory dimension, updated to the week ending 20 November 2021.

Table 8: Jobholder characteristics - Payroll jobs index

Contains estimates of payroll jobs by 5 year age groups. 

Table 9: Sector - Payroll jobs index

Contains estimates of payroll jobs by private sector for selected industry divisions, available in this release since 7 October 2021. 

 

All data cubes

Changes in this release

The following section was updated in this release:

  • Upcoming changes to this release: section renamed. Additional content added

The following sections of the Methodology were updated in this release:

  • How data are processed: text updates in Aggregate adjustments and Suppression

  • Data variability and revisions: graph removed in Revisions in sub-populations

Upcoming changes

Expansion of outputs in this release

Update to thematic grouping and navigation on the ABS website

Previous articles

Previously published articles and information of interest are linked below:

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 6160.0.55.001.

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