Charts on casual employment, occupation, industry and job mobility, May 2023

Charts examining recent changes in casual employment, occupation, industry and job mobility.

Released

22/06/2023

Source

Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, May 2023

Casual employment, occupation, industry and job mobility

This article includes information on casual employment, occupation, industry and job mobility. It follows previous similar articles during the COVID period, including:

Insights into Industry and Occupation (May 2020, August 2020)
Insights into casual employment, occupation and industry (November 2020)
Charts on casual employment, occupation and industry (May 2021, August 2021, November 2021, February 2022, and May 2022)
Insights into job mobility from quarterly Labour Force statistics (first in a non-quarter month December 2021, and then in February 2022).
Charts on casual employment, occupation, industry and job mobility (August 2022, November 2022 and February 2023).

These can all be found in the Labour Force, Australia article archive.

The main indicator the ABS uses for casual employment is whether an employee is entitled to paid leave, which includes paid sick leave or paid annual leave. These entitlements are usually reserved for non-casual or permanent employment. Other measures of casual employment can be found in Working Arrangements.

Information in this article refers to a person’s ‘main job’, based on questions that are asked in the Labour Force Survey in February, May, August and November.

Employment by casual employees

Chart 1 compares the change in employment for casual employees, non-casual employees and owner managers, indexed to February 2020. Casual employment is now slightly higher (0.8 per cent) than prior to the pandemic. Non-casual employees increased steadily to 11.9% above their pre-pandemic level, and are the main driver for employment growth, particularly since August 2022.

Chart 1: Employment index, Status in Employment, Original (Feb 2020 = 100.0)
	Employees with paid leave entitlements (February 2020 Index)	Casual employees (February 2020 Index)	Owner managers (February 2020 Index)
Feb-20	100.0	100.0	100.0
May-20	97.4	79.4	95.2
Aug-20	98.4	88.1	97.8
Nov-20	100.0	94.4	98.6
Feb-21	100.8	95.2	102.0
May-21	101.6	99.1	101.8
Aug-21	100.7	92.6	101.5
Nov-21	103.1	96.7	102.4
Feb-22	105.3	98.9	102.5
May-22	106.4	101.5	101.3
Aug-22	105.6	103.3	101.6
Nov-22	108.4	103.9	101.2
Feb-23	110.6	98.7	102.8
May-23	111.9	100.8	103.1

Chart 1: Employment index, Status in Employment, Original (Feb 2020 = 100.0)

["","Employees with paid leave entitlements","Casual employees","Owner managers"]

[["Feb-20","May-20","Aug-20","Nov-20","Feb-21","May-21","Aug-21","Nov-21","Feb-22","May-22","Aug-22","Nov-22","Feb-23","May-23"],[[100],[97.400000000000006],[98.400000000000006],[100],[100.8],[101.59999999999999],[100.7],[103.09999999999999],[105.3],[106.40000000000001],[105.59999999999999],[108.40000000000001],[110.59999999999999],[111.90000000000001]],[[100],[79.400000000000006],[88.099999999999994],[94.400000000000006],[95.200000000000003],[99.099999999999994],[92.599999999999994],[96.700000000000003],[98.900000000000006],[101.5],[103.3],[103.90000000000001],[98.700000000000003],[100.8]],[[100],[95.200000000000003],[97.799999999999997],[98.599999999999994],[102],[101.8],[101.5],[102.40000000000001],[102.5],[101.3],[101.59999999999999],[101.2],[102.8],[103.09999999999999]]]

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Source: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, Datacube EQ04

Occupation

Chart 2 shows changes in employment and total hours worked in each of the major groups of occupations from May 2022 to May 2023. The overall growth in hours worked in the last year has outpaced employment and was particularly evident for Labourers, Sales workers and Technicians and trades workers.

Chart 2: Change in employed people and hours worked, by Occupation, May 2022 to May 2023, Original
	Employment (%)	Hours worked (%)
Managers	6.5	6.0
Labourers	5.3	9.4
Community and Personal Service Workers	5.0	6.1
Professionals	3.6	3.9
Sales Workers	2.8	6.9
Clerical and Administrative Workers	1.7	2.3
Technicians and Trades Workers	1.5	4.6
Machinery Operators and Drivers	0.2	1.9

Chart 2: Change in employed people and hours worked, by Occupation, May 2022 to May 2023, Original

["","Employment","Hours worked"]

[["Managers","Labourers","Community and Personal Service Workers","Professionals","Sales Workers","Clerical and Administrative Workers","Technicians and Trades Workers","Machinery Operators and Drivers"],[[6.5],[5.2999999999999998],[5],[3.6000000000000001],[2.7999999999999998],[1.7],[1.5],[0.20000000000000001]],[[6],[9.4000000000000004],[6.0999999999999996],[3.8999999999999999],[6.9000000000000004],[2.2999999999999998],[4.5999999999999996],[1.8999999999999999]]]

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Source: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed Table 12

Industry

Chart 3 shows changes in employment and total hours worked in each of the industry divisions from May 2022 to May 2023. In the past year, hours worked has grown at a faster rate than employment for most industries and was most evident in the Accommodation and food services industry, where hours worked grew by 9.7 per cent while employment grew by only 3.9 per cent.

Chart 3: Change in employed people and hours worked, by Industry, May 2022 to May 2023, Original
	Employment (%)	Hours worked (%)
Construction	10.9	12.7
Manufacturing	8.4	11.4
Arts and Recreation Services	7.3	8.3
Health Care and Social Assistance	6.4	7.9
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services	5.9	6.5
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing	4.9	1.1
Education and Training	4.7	4.9
Accommodation and Food Services	3.9	9.7
Transport, Postal and Warehousing	3.4	2.9
Wholesale Trade	3.1	2.3
Mining	2.1	4.5
Retail Trade	0.7	2.0
Public Administration and Safety	0.5	3.3
Financial and Insurance Services	-2.5	-1.3
Information Media and Telecommunications	-4.1	-7.3
Other Services	-5.1	-2.4
Administrative and Support Services	-6.6	-6.9
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services	-7.5	-4.7
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services	-8.0	-12.1

Chart 3: Change in employed people and hours worked, by Industry, May 2022 to May 2023, Original

["","Employment","Hours worked"]

[["Construction","Manufacturing","Arts and Recreation Services","Health Care and Social Assistance","Professional, Scientific and Technical Services ","Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing ","Education and Training","Accommodation and Food Services","Transport, Postal and Warehousing ","Wholesale Trade","Mining","Retail Trade","Public Administration and Safety","Financial and Insurance Services","Information Media and Telecommunications","Other Services","Administrative and Support Services","Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services ","Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services "],[[10.9],[8.4000000000000004],[7.2999999999999998],[6.4000000000000004],[5.9000000000000004],[4.9000000000000004],[4.7000000000000002],[3.8999999999999999],[3.3999999999999999],[3.1000000000000001],[2.1000000000000001],[0.69999999999999996],[0.5],[-2.5],[-4.0999999999999996],[-5.0999999999999996],[-6.5999999999999996],[-7.5],[-8]],[[12.699999999999999],[11.4],[8.3000000000000007],[7.9000000000000004],[6.5],[1.1000000000000001],[4.9000000000000004],[9.6999999999999993],[2.8999999999999999],[2.2999999999999998],[4.5],[2],[3.2999999999999998],[-1.3],[-7.2999999999999998],[-2.3999999999999999],[-6.9000000000000004],[-4.7000000000000002],[-12.1]]]

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Source: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed Table 11

Chart 4 shows the change in employment since February 2020 for the Accommodation and food services and Arts and recreation services industries compared to the growth in employment for all industries. Both selected industries were particularly impacted by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. By May 2023, both industries recovered to around their pre-pandemic levels, however employment growth in these industries was slower than the overall growth in employment.

Chart 4: Employment in selected industries and total, Original (Feb 2020 = 100.0)
	All industries (February 2020 Index)	Accommodation and food services (February 2020 Index)	Arts and recreation services (February 2020 Index)
Feb-20	100.0	100.0	100.0
May-20	93.4	70.3	63.2
Aug-20	96.2	83.2	82.3
Nov-20	98.6	89.4	92.2
Feb-21	99.8	91.0	97.6
May-21	101.1	96.0	100.9
Aug-21	99.2	86.6	80.3
Nov-21	101.7	92.4	91.8
Feb-22	103.5	97.2	92.1
May-22	104.5	98.5	91.6
Aug-22	104.4	98.7	91.3
Nov-22	106.2	103.3	99.8
Feb-23	106.9	102.4	99.4
May-23	108.1	102.3	98.3

Chart 4: Employment in selected industries and total, Original (Feb 2020 = 100.0)

["","All industries","Accommodation and food services","Arts and recreation services"]

[["Feb-20","May-20","Aug-20","Nov-20","Feb-21","May-21","Aug-21","Nov-21","Feb-22","May-22","Aug-22","Nov-22","Feb-23","May-23"],[[100],[93.400000000000006],[96.200000000000003],[98.599999999999994],[99.799999999999997],[101.09999999999999],[99.200000000000003],[101.7],[103.5],[104.5],[104.40000000000001],[106.2],[106.90000000000001],[108.09999999999999]],[[100],[70.299999999999997],[83.200000000000003],[89.400000000000006],[91],[96],[86.599999999999994],[92.400000000000006],[97.200000000000003],[98.5],[98.700000000000003],[103.3],[102.40000000000001],[102.3]],[[100],[63.200000000000003],[82.299999999999997],[92.200000000000003],[97.599999999999994],[100.90000000000001],[80.299999999999997],[91.799999999999997],[92.099999999999994],[91.599999999999994],[91.299999999999997],[99.799999999999997],[99.400000000000006],[98.299999999999997]]]

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Source: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed Table 11

Job Mobility

Chart 5 shows the reasons people left or lost a job in the past three months. The number of people who left or lost their job in the last 3 months fell by 149,100 people between February and May 2023. The fall was across all reasons.

Chart 5: People who lost or left job in past three months, by reason, Original
	Better job/wanted change ('000)	Involuntary ('000)	Other reasons ('000)	Retiring ('000)	Study/family/other personal ('000)	Total ('000)
May-19	195.1	261.0	65.1	13.7	144.5	679.4
Aug-19	207.6	289.9	71.9	16.9	151.7	737.9
Nov-19	219.7	259.0	77.2	16.8	144.1	716.8
Feb-20	225.5	358.8	84.6	17.6	166.6	853.1
May-20	129.4	711.5	266.8	12.7	79.1	1,199.4
Aug-20	137.4	387.9	149.1	13.0	77.6	765.0
Nov-20	184.3	310.1	108.5	13.4	96.3	712.7
Feb-21	219.8	315.9	102.8	25.8	155.1	819.4
May-21	266.1	237.5	73.8	17.6	153.8	748.8
Aug-21	300.8	307.9	163.3	28.9	150.7	951.5
Nov-21	305.3	264.7	142.1	17.5	138.3	867.8
Feb-22	332.3	276.4	129.6	27.3	174.8	940.3
May-22	344.6	220.3	95.8	20.2	182.5	863.4
Aug-22	362.2	259.2	89.3	27.7	163.4	901.8
Nov-22	329.6	214.8	82.1	21.7	181.5	829.8
Feb-23	344.8	282.2	114.7	27.3	186.0	954.9
May-23	295.3	242.5	93.1	25.0	149.9	805.8

Chart 5: People who lost or left job in past three months, by reason, Original

["","Better job\/wanted change","Involuntary","Other reasons","Retiring","Study\/family\/other personal","Total"]

[["May-19","Aug-19","Nov-19","Feb-20","May-20","Aug-20","Nov-20","Feb-21","May-21","Aug-21","Nov-21","Feb-22","May-22","Aug-22","Nov-22","Feb-23","May-23"],[[195.09999999999999],[207.59999999999999],[219.69999999999999],[225.5],[129.40000000000001],[137.40000000000001],[184.30000000000001],[219.80000000000001],[266.10000000000002],[300.80000000000001],[305.30000000000001],[332.30000000000001],[344.60000000000002],[362.19999999999999],[329.60000000000002],[344.80000000000001],[295.30000000000001]],[[261],[289.89999999999998],[259],[358.80000000000001],[711.5],[387.89999999999998],[310.10000000000002],[315.89999999999998],[237.5],[307.89999999999998],[264.69999999999999],[276.39999999999998],[220.30000000000001],[259.19999999999999],[214.80000000000001],[282.19999999999999],[242.5]],[[65.099999999999994],[71.900000000000006],[77.200000000000003],[84.599999999999994],[266.80000000000001],[149.09999999999999],[108.5],[102.8],[73.799999999999997],[163.30000000000001],[142.09999999999999],[129.59999999999999],[95.799999999999997],[89.299999999999997],[82.099999999999994],[114.7],[93.099999999999994]],[[13.699999999999999],[16.899999999999999],[16.800000000000001],[17.600000000000001],[12.699999999999999],[13],[13.4],[25.800000000000001],[17.600000000000001],[28.899999999999999],[17.5],[27.300000000000001],[20.199999999999999],[27.699999999999999],[21.699999999999999],[27.300000000000001],[25]],[[144.5],[151.69999999999999],[144.09999999999999],[166.59999999999999],[79.099999999999994],[77.599999999999994],[96.299999999999997],[155.09999999999999],[153.80000000000001],[150.69999999999999],[138.30000000000001],[174.80000000000001],[182.5],[163.40000000000001],[181.5],[186],[149.90000000000001]],[[679.39999999999998],[737.89999999999998],[716.79999999999995],[853.10000000000002],[1199.4000000000001],[765],[712.70000000000005],[819.39999999999998],[748.79999999999995],[951.5],[867.79999999999995],[940.29999999999995],[863.39999999999998],[901.79999999999995],[829.79999999999995],[954.89999999999998],[805.79999999999995]]]

[]

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Source: Longitudinal Labour Force Microdata

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