Labour Account Australia, March 2026

Key statistics - Seasonally adjusted
		Mar-26	Quarterly change (%)	Annual change (%)
Jobs
	Total jobs	16,529,000	0.7%	2.0%
	Filled jobs	16,185,000	0.6%	1.9%
	Job vacancies	344,000	5.2%	4.1%
	Main jobs	15,091,900	0.6%	1.8%
	Secondary jobs	1,093,100	0.6%	3.4%
	Proportion of vacant jobs	2.1%	na	na
People
	Employed people	15,109,700	0.7%	1.8%
	Multiple job holders	978,000	0.3%	2.1%
	Multiple job holding rate	6.5%	na	na
Hours
	Hours actually worked	6,104.1 million	0.9%	2.2%
Payments
	Average income per employed person	$25,825.40	0.5%	3.9%

Key statistics - Trend
		Mar-26	Quarterly change (%)	Annual change (%)
Jobs
	Total jobs	16,509,900	0.5%	1.6%
	Filled jobs	16,170,700	0.5%	1.6%
	Job vacancies	339,200	0.9%	0.9%
	Main jobs	15,074,800	0.4%	1.6%
	Secondary jobs	1,095,900	0.8%	2.5%
	Proportion of vacant jobs	2.1%	na	na
People
	Employed people	15,093,600	0.6%	1.7%
	Multiple job holders	980,100	0.7%	1.6%
	Multiple job holding rate	6.5%	na	na
Hours
	Hours actually worked	6,090.5 million	0.7%	2.0%
Payments
	Average income per employed person	$25,855.00	0.7%	4.2%

Upcoming changes to this release

As part of the ABS plans to modernise the Labour Force Survey there will be changes to content that feeds into the Labour Account. This will impact some Labour Account series.

The series affected are industry level outputs of unemployment, underemployment, and underutilisation, including series derived from these, Labour Force and Available hours of labour supply.

From the June 2026 Labour Account release onwards, these series are under review to investigate the impact of ABS modernisation. During the review, the Labour Account will not publish data for these series beyond the March 2026 quarter. The ABS will provide further advice on the dissemination strategy for these series in due course.

State article

The Labour Account plans to release an article containing indicative state and territory filled jobs and hours worked estimates as part of the June 2026 publication (to be released on 4/09/2026).

These estimates will now use the ABS' Monthly Employee Earnings Indicator (MEEI) data as a key input, following the cessation of Weekly Payroll jobs in 2025. Concepts sources and methods will be updated to reflect this change.

Further information on these methodological changes will be provided alongside the article.

Experimental estimates of Unpaid care release

On 19/06/2026 the ABS will publish it's next iteration of estimates of the total hours spent on unpaid care and their monetary value.

These measures improve the visibility of the contribution of unpaid care to society and the economy, alongside the extensive information on paid work already captured through the Labour Account.

Recent updates

Revisions this quarter

Jobs

In seasonally adjusted terms for the March quarter 2026:

filled jobs increased by 0.6%, following a 0.3% rise in the December quarter 2025. Filled jobs grew by 1.9% through the year
the number of main jobs increased by 92,600 (or 0.6%)
the proportion of vacant jobs increased to 2.1%
the number of public sector jobs increased by 0.1%, while the number of private sector jobs increased by 0.7%.

Total jobs

In seasonally adjusted terms for the March quarter 2026, the total number of jobs increased by 116,400 (or 0.7%). This consisted of a increase of 17,100 job vacancies and a increase of 99,400 filled jobs.

Total jobs, by industry, seasonally adjusted
	Dec-2025 ('000)	Mar-2026 ('000)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)	444.2	444.3
Mining (B)	239.1	241.9
Manufacturing (C)	921.3	922.3
Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)	152.6	155.6
Construction (E)	1,344.8	1,356.8
Wholesale trade (F)	593.1	600.1
Retail trade (G)	1,540.3	1,554.2
Accommodation and food services (H)	1,341.0	1,335.8
Transport, postal and warehousing (I)	726.6	734.4
Information media and telecommunications (J)	209.1	208.8
Financial and insurance services (K)	529.2	534.9
Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)	307.0	310.9
Professional, scientific and technical services (M)	1,344.4	1,361.4
Administrative and support services (N)	982.5	996.1
Public administration and safety (O)	912.8	912.8
Education and training (P)	1,335.1	1,355.9
Health care and social assistance (Q)	2,611.6	2,616.5
Arts and recreation services (R)	298.1	300.3
Other services (S)	579.7	586.2

Total jobs, by industry, seasonally adjusted

["","Dec-2025","Mar-2026"]

[["Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)","Mining (B)","Manufacturing (C)","Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)","Construction (E)","Wholesale trade (F)","Retail trade (G)","Accommodation and food services (H)","Transport, postal and warehousing (I)","Information media and telecommunications (J)","Financial and insurance services (K)","Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)","Professional, scientific and technical services (M)","Administrative and support services (N)","Public administration and safety (O) ","Education and training (P)","Health care and social assistance (Q)","Arts and recreation services (R)","Other services (S)"],[[444.2],[239.1],[921.3],[152.6],[1344.8],[593.1],[1540.3],[1341],[726.6],[209.1],[529.2],[307],[1344.4],[982.5],[912.8],[1335.1],[2611.6],[298.1],[579.7]],[[444.3],[241.9],[922.3],[155.6],[1356.8],[600.1],[1554.2],[1335.8],[734.4],[208.8],[534.9],[310.9],[1361.4],[996.1],[912.8],[1355.9],[2616.5],[300.3],[586.2]]]

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Filled jobs

In seasonally adjusted terms for the March quarter 2026, the number of filled jobs increased by 99,400 to 16.2 million.

Filled jobs, seasonally adjusted and trend (a)
Quarter	Trend (RHS) ('000)	Seasonally adjusted (RHS) ('000)	Quarterly change (seasonally adjusted) (LHS) (%)
Mar-21		14,027.4	1.0
Jun-21		14,212.7	1.3
Sep-21		13,907.6	-2.1
Dec-21		14,442.8	3.8
Mar-22		14,565.9	0.9
Jun-22		14,880.3	2.2
Sep-22	14,979.7	14,991.3	0.7
Dec-22	15,148.0	15,122.2	0.9
Mar-23	15,283.0	15,290.5	1.1
Jun-23	15,384.5	15,421.4	0.9
Sep-23	15,458.3	15,522.3	0.7
Dec-23	15,524.4	15,535.0	0.1
Mar-24	15,621.5	15,624.0	0.6
Jun-24	15,744.5	15,696.2	0.5
Sep-24	15,843.3	15,883.5	1.2
Dec-24	15,892.6	15,910.5	0.2
Mar-25	15,908.6	15,880.0	-0.2
Jun-25	15,937.1	15,923.8	0.3
Sep-25	16,011.3	16,029.6	0.7
Dec-25	16,096.1	16,085.6	0.3
Mar-26	16,170.7	16,185.0	0.6

Filled jobs, seasonally adjusted and trend (a)

["Quarter","Trend (RHS)","Seasonally adjusted (RHS)","Quarterly change (seasonally adjusted) (LHS)"]

[["Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24","Mar-25","Jun-25","Sep-25","Dec-25","Mar-26"],[[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[14979.7],[15148],[15283],[15384.5],[15458.3],[15524.4],[15621.5],[15744.5],[15843.3],[15892.6],[15908.6],[15937.1],[16011.3],[16096.1],[16170.7]],[[14027.4],[14212.7],[13907.6],[14442.8],[14565.9],[14880.3],[14991.3],[15122.2],[15290.5],[15421.4],[15522.3],[15535],[15624],[15696.2],[15883.5],[15910.5],[15880],[15923.8],[16029.6],[16085.6],[16185]],[[1],[1.3],[-2.1],[3.8],[0.9],[2.2],[0.7],[0.9],[1.1],[0.9],[0.7],[0.1],[0.6],[0.5],[1.2],[0.2],[-0.2],[0.3],[0.7],[0.3],[0.6]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"-4","axis_max":"4","tick_interval":"2","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"'000","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"('000)","table_units":"('000)","axis_min":"12500","axis_max":"16500","tick_interval":"500","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Larger than usual quarter-to-quarter changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ABS recommends caution when using trend estimates published in spreadsheets in this release for this period.

Filled jobs, by industry, March quarter 2026, seasonally adjusted
	Filled jobs ('000)	Quarterly change (%)	Annual change (%)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)	441.7	0.0	-0.3
Mining (B)	232.1	1.0	1.9
Manufacturing (C)	904.3	0.3	-2.1
Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)	151.9	1.9	5.4
Construction (E)	1,335.5	0.8	3.8
Wholesale trade (F)	586.1	1.1	-0.6
Retail trade (G)	1,522.0	0.4	0.4
Accommodation and food services (H)	1,297.0	-0.5	3.3
Transport, postal and warehousing (I)	724.1	1.0	2.9
Information media and telecommunications (J)	205.5	0.0	-0.8
Financial and insurance services (K)	523.7	1.1	3.0
Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)	306.2	1.3	3.3
Professional, scientific and technical services (M)	1,323.5	1.0	1.8
Administrative and support services (N)	968.7	1.4	2.9
Public administration and safety (O)	889.7	-0.1	2.2
Education and training (P)	1,344.2	1.6	3.9
Health care and social assistance (Q)	2,559.1	0.2	1.2
Arts and recreation services (R)	295.4	0.5	3.5
Other services (S)	574.3	1.0	3.0
Total all industries	16,185.0	0.6	1.9

Main and secondary jobs

In seasonally adjusted terms for the March quarter 2026:

main jobs increased by 92,600 (or 0.6%)
secondary jobs increased by 6,700 (or 0.6%)
the proportion of secondary jobs to filled jobs increased to 6.8%.

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

Main and secondary jobs, by industry, seasonally adjusted
	Main jobs ('000)	Secondary jobs ('000)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)	421.2	20.5
Mining (B)	227.3	4.8
Manufacturing (C)	869.0	35.4
Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)	149.5	2.4
Construction (E)	1,300.4	35.1
Wholesale trade (F)	568.5	17.6
Retail trade (G)	1,419.2	102.8
Accommodation and food services (H)	1,185.0	112.0
Transport, postal and warehousing (I)	704.2	19.9
Information media and telecommunications (J)	191.6	13.9
Financial and insurance services (K)	477.8	45.9
Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)	292.1	14.1
Professional, scientific and technical services (M)	1,267.1	56.5
Administrative and support services (N)	824.9	143.8
Public administration and safety (O)	829.6	60.1
Education and training (P)	1,212.5	131.7
Health care and social assistance (Q)	2,358.1	201.0
Arts and recreation services (R)	254.5	40.9
Other services (S)	539.5	34.8

Main and secondary jobs, by industry, seasonally adjusted

["","Main jobs","Secondary jobs"]

[["Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)","Mining (B)","Manufacturing (C)","Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)","Construction (E)","Wholesale trade (F)","Retail trade (G)","Accommodation and food services (H)","Transport, postal and warehousing (I)","Information media and telecommunications (J)","Financial and insurance services (K)","Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)","Professional, scientific and technical services (M)","Administrative and support services (N)","Public administration and safety (O) ","Education and training (P)","Health care and social assistance (Q)","Arts and recreation services (R)","Other services (S)"],[[421.2],[227.3],[869],[149.5],[1300.4],[568.5],[1419.2],[1185],[704.2],[191.6],[477.8],[292.1],[1267.1],[824.9],[829.6],[1212.5],[2358.1],[254.5],[539.5]],[[20.5],[4.8],[35.4],[2.4],[35.1],[17.6],[102.8],[112],[19.9],[13.9],[45.9],[14.1],[56.5],[143.8],[60.1],[131.7],[201],[40.9],[34.8]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"'000","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"('000)","table_units":"('000)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"3000","tick_interval":"500","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

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 at the 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 523,300 jobs in the March quarter 2026, or 3.2% of the household estimate.

Filled jobs discrepancy, original
Quarter	Discrepancy (business sources less household sources) ('000)	Filled jobs (business sources) ('000)	Filled jobs (household sources) ('000)
Mar-23	195.0	15,499.9	15,305.0
Jun-23	335.6	15,731.2	15,395.5
Sep-23	617.4	16,035.5	15,418.1
Dec-23	564.3	16,215.2	15,650.9
Mar-24	360.7	15,995.0	15,634.4
Jun-24	418.6	16,090.1	15,671.5
Sep-24	304.7	16,088.1	15,783.5
Dec-24	349.2	16,374.4	16,025.2
Mar-25	435.2	16,325.5	15,890.3
Jun-25	646.5	16,541.9	15,895.3
Sep-25	512.6	16,449.2	15,936.5
Dec-25	474.5	16,673.0	16,198.6
Mar-26	523.3	16,718.6	16,195.3

Filled jobs discrepancy, original

["Quarter","Discrepancy (business sources less household sources)","Filled jobs (business sources)","Filled jobs (household sources)"]

[["Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24","Mar-25","Jun-25","Sep-25","Dec-25","Mar-26"],[[195],[335.6],[617.4],[564.3],[360.7],[418.6],[304.7],[349.2],[435.2],[646.5],[512.6],[474.5],[523.3]],[[15499.9],[15731.2],[16035.5],[16215.2],[15995],[16090.1],[16088.1],[16374.4],[16325.5],[16541.9],[16449.2],[16673],[16718.6]],[[15305],[15395.5],[15418.1],[15650.9],[15634.4],[15671.5],[15783.5],[16025.2],[15890.3],[15895.3],[15936.5],[16198.6],[16195.3]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"'000","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"('000)","table_units":"('000)","axis_min":"-2000","axis_max":"18000","tick_interval":"2000","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

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 March quarter 2026:

the total number of employed people increased by 0.7% to 15.1 million
the number of multiple job holders increased by 0.3%
unemployed people increased by 21,700 people to 650,000.

Employed people and multiple job-holders, seasonally adjusted and trend (a)
Quarter	Employed people (trend) (RHS) ('000)	Employed people (seasonally adjusted) (RHS) ('000)	Multiple job holders (seasonally adjusted) (LHS) (Quarterly change %)
Mar-21		13,170.7	2
Jun-21		13,287.8	2.8
Sep-21		13,006.4	-6.5
Dec-21		13,524.6	10.8
Mar-22		13,641.5	1
Jun-22		13,863.4	4.9
Sep-22	13,975.7	13,944.5	0
Dec-22	14,120.5	14,125.4	2.9
Mar-23	14,244.3	14,257.3	2.4
Jun-23	14,341.4	14,342.1	1.7
Sep-23	14,407.2	14,402.8	-0.3
Dec-23	14,468.9	14,469.3	-0.8
Mar-24	14,545.6	14,542.0	2.1
Jun-24	14,641.0	14,627.7	-1.3
Sep-24	14,735.4	14,750.8	2.4
Dec-24	14,806.6	14,814.5	0.5
Mar-25	14,846.4	14,841.4	-2.8
Jun-25	14,875.8	14,878.8	-0.9
Sep-25	14,931.1	14,914.4	2.2
Dec-25	15,007.4	15,004.8	0.4
Mar-26	15,093.6	15,109.7	0.3

Employed people and multiple job-holders, seasonally adjusted and trend (a)

["Quarter","Employed people (trend) (RHS)","Employed people (seasonally adjusted) (RHS)","Multiple job holders (seasonally adjusted) (LHS)"]

[["Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24","Mar-25","Jun-25","Sep-25","Dec-25","Mar-26"],[[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[13975.7],[14120.5],[14244.3],[14341.4],[14407.2],[14468.9],[14545.6],[14641],[14735.4],[14806.6],[14846.4],[14875.8],[14931.1],[15007.4],[15093.6]],[[13170.7],[13287.8],[13006.4],[13524.6],[13641.5],[13863.4],[13944.5],[14125.4],[14257.3],[14342.1],[14402.8],[14469.3],[14542],[14627.7],[14750.8],[14814.5],[14841.4],[14878.8],[14914.4],[15004.8],[15109.7]],[[2],[2.8],[-6.5],[10.8],[1],[4.9],[0],[2.9],[2.4],[1.7],[-0.3],[-0.8],[2.1],[-1.3],[2.4],[0.5],[-2.8],[-0.9],[2.2],[0.4],[0.3]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"4","precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Quarterly change %","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(Quarterly change %)","table_units":"(Quarterly change %)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"'000","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"('000)","table_units":"('000)","axis_min":"12000","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"750","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Larger than usual quarter-to-quarter changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ABS recommends caution when using trend estimates published in spreadsheets in this release for this period.

The three industries with the highest number of employed people in the March quarter 2026 were Health care and social assistance, Retail trade, and Construction.

Employed people, by industry, seasonally adjusted
	Dec-2025 ('000)	Mar-2026 ('000)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)	431.8	432.6
Mining (B)	228.5	230.9
Manufacturing (C)	892.8	892.3
Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)	148.9	151.6
Construction (E)	1,317.3	1,328.4
Wholesale trade (F)	576.8	583.7
Retail trade (G)	1,494.2	1,506.5
Accommodation and food services (H)	1,270.5	1,260.8
Transport, postal and warehousing (I)	713.3	720.1
Information media and telecommunications (J)	200.6	201.6
Financial and insurance services (K)	515.6	520.6
Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)	301.0	303.9
Professional, scientific and technical services (M)	1,297.2	1,309.9
Administrative and support services (N)	936.6	950.2
Public administration and safety (O)	885.0	881.1
Education and training (P)	1,290.6	1,313.0
Health care and social assistance (Q)	2,472.9	2,481.3
Arts and recreation services (R)	287.0	290.4
Other services (S)	563.7	569.0

Employed people, by industry, seasonally adjusted

["","Dec-2025","Mar-2026"]

[["Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)","Mining (B)","Manufacturing (C)","Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)","Construction (E)","Wholesale trade (F)","Retail trade (G)","Accommodation and food services (H)","Transport, postal and warehousing (I)","Information media and telecommunications (J)","Financial and insurance services (K)","Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)","Professional, scientific and technical services (M)","Administrative and support services (N)","Public administration and safety (O) ","Education and training (P)","Health care and social assistance (Q)","Arts and recreation services (R)","Other services (S)"],[[431.8],[228.5],[892.8],[148.9],[1317.3],[576.8],[1494.2],[1270.5],[713.3],[200.6],[515.6],[301],[1297.2],[936.6],[885],[1290.6],[2472.9],[287],[563.7]],[[432.6],[230.9],[892.3],[151.6],[1328.4],[583.7],[1506.5],[1260.8],[720.1],[201.6],[520.6],[303.9],[1309.9],[950.2],[881.1],[1313],[2481.3],[290.4],[569]]]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"'000","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"('000)","table_units":"('000)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":null,"tick_interval":"500","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Hours

In seasonally adjusted terms for the March quarter 2026, the total number of hours actually worked increased by 52.9 million hours (or 0.9%) to 6.1 billion hours.

Hours actually worked, seasonally adjusted and trend (a)
Quarter	Trend (RHS) (million)	Seasonally adjusted (RHS) (million)	Quarterly change (seasonally adjusted) (LHS) (%)
Mar-21		5,270.9	0.9
Jun-21		5,359.0	1.7
Sep-21		5,222.5	-2.5
Dec-21		5,353.9	2.5
Mar-22		5,369.2	0.3
Jun-22		5,548.1	3.3
Sep-22	5,638.2	5,639.6	1.6
Dec-22	5,745.4	5,754.3	2.0
Mar-23	5,830.7	5,810.1	1.0
Jun-23	5,870.5	5,911.7	1.7
Sep-23	5,863.0	5,860.9	-0.9
Dec-23	5,840.7	5,833.1	-0.5
Mar-24	5,844.3	5,832.2	0.0
Jun-24	5,886.5	5,889.6	1.0
Sep-24	5,931.8	5,941.2	0.9
Dec-24	5,962.0	5,964.2	0.4
Mar-25	5,973.6	5,970.8	0.1
Jun-25	5,984.2	5,986.7	0.3
Sep-25	6,011.7	6,000.0	0.2
Dec-25	6,050.9	6,051.1	0.9
Mar-26	6,090.5	6,104.1	0.9

Hours actually worked, seasonally adjusted and trend (a)

["Quarter","Trend (RHS)","Seasonally adjusted (RHS)","Quarterly change (seasonally adjusted) (LHS)"]

[["Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24","Mar-25","Jun-25","Sep-25","Dec-25","Mar-26"],[[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[5638.2],[5745.4],[5830.7],[5870.5],[5863],[5840.7],[5844.3],[5886.5],[5931.8],[5962],[5973.6],[5984.2],[6011.7],[6050.9],[6090.5]],[[5270.9],[5359],[5222.5],[5353.9],[5369.2],[5548.1],[5639.6],[5754.3],[5810.1],[5911.7],[5860.9],[5833.1],[5832.2],[5889.6],[5941.2],[5964.2],[5970.8],[5986.7],[6000],[6051.1],[6104.1]],[[0.9],[1.7],[-2.5],[2.5],[0.3],[3.3],[1.6],[2],[1],[1.7],[-0.9],[-0.5],[0],[1],[0.9],[0.4],[0.1],[0.3],[0.2],[0.9],[0.9]]]

[]

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Larger than usual quarter-to-quarter changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ABS recommends caution when using trend estimates published in spreadsheets in this release for this period.

The three industries with the highest number of hours actually worked in the March quarter 2026 were Health care and social assistance, Construction, and Professional, scientific and technical services.

Hours actually worked, by industry, seasonally adjusted
	Dec-2025 (million)	Mar-2026 (million)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)	202.6	203.5
Mining (B)	125.8	129.0
Manufacturing (C)	384.5	384.7
Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)	67.3	68.2
Construction (E)	603.6	614.9
Wholesale trade (F)	259.2	261.4
Retail trade (G)	489.5	491.0
Accommodation and food services (H)	366.7	364.0
Transport, postal and warehousing (I)	305.5	307.6
Information media and telecommunications (J)	80.7	81.3
Financial and insurance services (K)	218.2	222.5
Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)	124.3	125.5
Professional, scientific and technical services (M)	540.4	551.3
Administrative and support services (N)	288.6	293.6
Public administration and safety (O)	354.7	356.4
Education and training (P)	463.7	468.2
Health care and social assistance (Q)	865.2	868.2
Arts and recreation services (R)	88.6	89.2
Other services (S)	222.0	223.6

Hours actually worked, by industry, seasonally adjusted

["","Dec-2025","Mar-2026"]

[["Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)","Mining (B)","Manufacturing (C)","Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)","Construction (E)","Wholesale trade (F)","Retail trade (G)","Accommodation and food services (H)","Transport, postal and warehousing (I)","Information media and telecommunications (J)","Financial and insurance services (K)","Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)","Professional, scientific and technical services (M)","Administrative and support services (N)","Public administration and safety (O) ","Education and training (P)","Health care and social assistance (Q)","Arts and recreation services (R)","Other services (S)"],[[202.6],[125.8],[384.5],[67.3],[603.6],[259.2],[489.5],[366.7],[305.5],[80.7],[218.2],[124.3],[540.4],[288.6],[354.7],[463.7],[865.2],[88.6],[222]],[[203.5],[129],[384.7],[68.2],[614.9],[261.4],[491],[364],[307.6],[81.3],[222.5],[125.5],[551.3],[293.6],[356.4],[468.2],[868.2],[89.2],[223.6]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Million hours","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(million)","table_units":"(million)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"900","tick_interval":"100","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Quarterly hours worked per job, by industry, seasonally adjusted
	Dec-2025 (hours)	Mar-2026 (hours)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)	458.8	460.8
Mining (B)	547.4	555.7
Manufacturing (C)	426.6	425.4
Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)	451.0	448.6
Construction (E)	455.4	460.4
Wholesale trade (F)	447.1	446.1
Retail trade (G)	322.9	322.6
Accommodation and food services (H)	281.2	280.7
Transport, postal and warehousing (I)	426.0	424.8
Information media and telecommunications (J)	392.6	395.6
Financial and insurance services (K)	421.2	424.8
Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)	411.0	409.9
Professional, scientific and technical services (M)	412.2	416.6
Administrative and support services (N)	302.2	303.1
Public administration and safety (O)	398.4	400.6
Education and training (P)	350.4	348.3
Health care and social assistance (Q)	338.9	339.3
Arts and recreation services (R)	301.5	301.9
Other services (S)	390.3	389.3

Quarterly hours worked per job, by industry, seasonally adjusted

["","Dec-2025","Mar-2026"]

[["Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)","Mining (B)","Manufacturing (C)","Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)","Construction (E)","Wholesale trade (F)","Retail trade (G)","Accommodation and food services (H)","Transport, postal and warehousing (I)","Information media and telecommunications (J)","Financial and insurance services (K)","Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)","Professional, scientific and technical services (M)","Administrative and support services (N)","Public administration and safety (O) ","Education and training (P)","Health care and social assistance (Q)","Arts and recreation services (R)","Other services (S)"],[[458.8],[547.4],[426.6],[451],[455.4],[447.1],[322.9],[281.2],[426],[392.6],[421.2],[411],[412.2],[302.2],[398.4],[350.4],[338.9],[301.5],[390.3]],[[460.8],[555.7],[425.4],[448.6],[460.4],[446.1],[322.6],[280.7],[424.8],[395.6],[424.8],[409.9],[416.6],[303.1],[400.6],[348.3],[339.3],[301.9],[389.3]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Hours","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(hours)","table_units":"(hours)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"600","tick_interval":"100","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

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 March quarter 2026:

total labour income increased by $4,686 million (or 1.2%) to $390,216 million
the average labour income per employed person increased by 0.5% to $25,825
total compensation of employees increased by 1.2% to $360,081 million
labour income from self-employment increased by 1.7% to $30,135 million
total labour costs increased by $5,244 million (or 1.3%) to $415,736 million.

Total labour income, seasonally adjusted and trend (a)
Quarter	Trend (RHS) ($million)	Seasonally adjusted (RHS) ($million)	Quarterly change (seasonally adjusted) (LHS) (%)
Mar-21		280,320.7	1.8
Jun-21		284,534.8	1.5
Sep-21		286,541.1	0.7
Dec-21		295,105.6	3.0
Mar-22		298,910.3	1.3
Jun-22		309,460.0	3.5
Sep-22	314,524.4	313,662.1	1.4
Dec-22	321,100.4	321,474.7	2.5
Mar-23	327,184.0	327,506.8	1.9
Jun-23	332,915.7	332,141.9	1.4
Sep-23	337,715.3	338,690.5	2.0
Dec-23	341,956.7	341,651.5	0.9
Mar-24	346,065.4	345,858.7	1.2
Jun-24	350,593.1	350,607.4	1.4
Sep-24	356,116.1	356,382.4	1.6
Dec-24	362,082.0	361,740.1	1.5
Mar-25	368,302.0	368,876.0	2.0
Jun-25	374,465.5	373,977.0	1.4
Sep-25	380,187.4	380,716.1	1.8
Dec-25	385,462.6	385,530.1	1.3
Mar-26	390,245.3	390,215.8	1.2

Total labour income, seasonally adjusted and trend (a)

["Quarter","Trend (RHS)","Seasonally adjusted (RHS)","Quarterly change (seasonally adjusted) (LHS)"]

[["Mar-21","Jun-21","Sep-21","Dec-21","Mar-22","Jun-22","Sep-22","Dec-22","Mar-23","Jun-23","Sep-23","Dec-23","Mar-24","Jun-24","Sep-24","Dec-24","Mar-25","Jun-25","Sep-25","Dec-25","Mar-26"],[[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[null],[314524.4],[321100.4],[327184],[332915.7],[337715.3],[341956.7],[346065.4],[350593.1],[356116.1],[362082],[368302],[374465.5],[380187.4],[385462.6],[390245.3]],[[280320.7],[284534.8],[286541.1],[295105.6],[298910.3],[309460],[313662.1],[321474.7],[327506.8],[332141.9],[338690.5],[341651.5],[345858.7],[350607.4],[356382.4],[361740.1],[368876],[373977],[380716.1],[385530.1],[390215.8]],[[1.8],[1.5],[0.7],[3],[1.3],[3.5],[1.4],[2.5],[1.9],[1.4],[2],[0.9],[1.2],[1.4],[1.6],[1.5],[2],[1.4],[1.8],[1.3],[1.2]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false},{"value":"1","axis_id":"1","axis_title":"Million dollars","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(million)","table_units":"($million)","axis_min":"240000","axis_max":"400000","tick_interval":"30000","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"$","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Larger than usual quarter-to-quarter changes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ABS recommends caution when using trend estimates published in spreadsheets in this release for this period.

The three industries with the highest total labour income in the March quarter 2026 were Health care and social assistance, Professional, scientific and technical services, and Construction.

Total labour income, by industry, seasonally adjusted
	Dec-25 ($million)	Mar-26 ($million)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)	10,293.0	10,963.7
Mining (B)	12,106.6	12,410.2
Manufacturing (C)	23,318.7	23,365.9
Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)	5,713.1	5,817.1
Construction (E)	35,694.3	36,345.1
Wholesale trade (F)	16,504.9	16,849.9
Retail trade (G)	20,404.0	20,578.7
Accommodation and food services (H)	12,738.8	12,522.4
Transport, postal and warehousing (I)	18,224.2	18,286.6
Information media and telecommunications (J)	7,731.9	7,777.8
Financial and insurance services (K)	18,461.8	18,651.0
Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)	7,242.5	7,373.1
Professional, scientific and technical services (M)	41,520.4	42,401.1
Administrative and support services (N)	22,267.0	22,606.4
Public administration and safety (O)	31,475.4	31,696.8
Education and training (P)	31,479.7	31,719.9
Health care and social assistance (Q)	55,652.3	55,956.7
Arts and recreation services (R)	4,098.5	4,227.4
Other services (S)	10,603.0	10,666.1

Total labour income, by industry, seasonally adjusted

["","Dec-25","Mar-26"]

[["Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A)","Mining (B)","Manufacturing (C)","Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D)","Construction (E)","Wholesale trade (F)","Retail trade (G)","Accommodation and food services (H)","Transport, postal and warehousing (I)","Information media and telecommunications (J)","Financial and insurance services (K)","Rental, hiring and real estate services (L)","Professional, scientific and technical services (M)","Administrative and support services (N)","Public administration and safety (O)","Education and training (P)","Health care and social assistance (Q)","Arts and recreation services (R)","Other services (S)"],[[10293],[12106.6],[23318.7],[5713.1],[35694.3],[16504.9],[20404],[12738.8],[18224.2],[7731.9],[18461.8],[7242.5],[41520.4],[22267],[31475.4],[31479.7],[55652.3],[4098.5],[10603]],[[10963.7],[12410.2],[23365.9],[5817.1],[36345.1],[16849.9],[20578.7],[12522.4],[18286.6],[7777.8],[18651],[7373.1],[42401.1],[22606.4],[31696.8],[31719.9],[55956.7],[4227.4],[10666.1]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Million dollars","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(million)","table_units":"($million)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"60000","tick_interval":"10000","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"$","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Factors affecting interpretation

Stock and flow estimates

Guide to labour statistics

Data downloads

Time series spreadsheets

Download all (10.27 MB)

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

Data files

Industry summary table
Download xlsx [503.69 KB]
Table 1. Total all industries - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [427.34 KB]
Table 2. Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [409.04 KB]
Table 3. Mining (B) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408.47 KB]
Table 4. Manufacturing (C) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408.64 KB]
Table 5. Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [404.41 KB]
Table 6. Construction (E) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408.63 KB]
Table 7. Wholesale trade (F) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408.16 KB]
Table 8. Retail trade (G) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408.02 KB]
Table 9. Accommodation and food services (H) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [409.03 KB]
Table 10. Transport, postal and warehousing (I) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408.82 KB]
Table 11. Information media and telecommunications (J) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [409.06 KB]
Table 12. Financial and insurance services (K) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [405.6 KB]
Table 13. Rental, hiring and real estate services (L) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408.14 KB]
Table 14. Professional, scientific and technical services (M) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408.77 KB]
Table 15. Administrative and support services (N) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [409.17 KB]
Table 16. Public administration and safety (O) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [406.2 KB]
Table 17. Education and training (P) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [409.34 KB]
Table 18. Health care and social assistance (Q) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408 KB]
Table 19. Arts and recreation services (R) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408.76 KB]
Table 20. Other services (S) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original
Download xlsx [408.46 KB]
Table 21. Unbalanced: total all industries - original
Download xlsx [137.59 KB]
Table 22. Quarterly revisions
Download xlsx [2.18 MB]

Pivot Tables: Modelled Sex and Age group estimates in the Labour Account

Quarterly sex and age group estimates for Jobs, People, Hours and Payments by Industry Division and Total all industries

March quarter 2026 Pivot tables to be released 12/06/2026

Subdivison datasets

Industry subdivision estimates are available through Data Explorer.

Data Explorer datasets

Labour Account balanced

Quarterly balanced original estimates for Jobs, People, Hours and Payments are available by Industry Subdivision, Division and Total all industries.
Quarterly balanced seasonally adjusted and trend estimates for Job, People, Hours and Payments are available by Industry Division and Total all industries.

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

APA

Labour Account Australia

APA

Key statistics

Upcoming changes to this release

State article

Experimental estimates of Unpaid care release

Recent updates

Revisions this quarter

Jobs

Total jobs

Filled jobs

Main and secondary jobs

Statistical discrepancy - Filled jobs

People

Hours

Payments

Factors affecting interpretation

Stock and flow estimates

Guide to labour statistics

Data downloads

Time series spreadsheets

Industry summary table

Table 1. Total all industries - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 2. Agriculture, forestry and fishing (A) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 3. Mining (B) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 4. Manufacturing (C) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 5. Electricity, gas, water and waste services (D) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 6. Construction (E) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 7. Wholesale trade (F) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 8. Retail trade (G) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 9. Accommodation and food services (H) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 10. Transport, postal and warehousing (I) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 11. Information media and telecommunications (J) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 12. Financial and insurance services (K) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 13. Rental, hiring and real estate services (L) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 14. Professional, scientific and technical services (M) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 15. Administrative and support services (N) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 16. Public administration and safety (O) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 17. Education and training (P) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 18. Health care and social assistance (Q) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 19. Arts and recreation services (R) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 20. Other services (S) - trend, seasonally adjusted and original

Table 21. Unbalanced: total all industries - original

Table 22. Quarterly revisions

Pivot Tables: Modelled Sex and Age group estimates in the Labour Account

Subdivison datasets

Data Explorer datasets

Article archive

Previous feature articles

Methodology

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