Charts on job mobility from quarterly Labour Force statistics
Every three months, the Labour Force Survey collects information on whether respondents have lost or left their last job in the previous three months, and the reasons why.
This article provides insights for users on this data through a series of graphs, including how it compares to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statistics presented in this analysis are in original terms.
| 2014 ('000) | 2015 ('000) | 2016 ('000) | 2017 ('000) | 2018 ('000) | 2019 ('000) | 2020 ('000) | 2021 ('000) | 2022 ('000) | 2023 ('000) | 2024 ('000) | 2025 ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb | 177.8 | 170.4 | 191.0 | 211.6 | 216.4 | 224.7 | 218.4 | 333.1 | 344.3 | 288.1 | 249.2 | |
| May | 152.9 | 164.0 | 173.4 | 181.0 | 196.0 | 128.8 | 264.2 | 342.8 | 297.5 | 247.9 | ||
| Aug | 169.5 | 158.7 | 201.2 | 214.5 | 193.0 | 207.6 | 138.4 | 298.0 | 361.6 | 286.2 | 251.9 | |
| Nov | 150.0 | 167.1 | 181.3 | 197.5 | 214.3 | 217.5 | 184.1 | 305.6 | 331.8 | 292.9 | 227.4 |
Chart 1: Better job/wanted change
["","2014","2015","2016","2017","2018","2019","2020","2021","2022","2023","2024","2025"]
[["Feb","May","Aug","Nov"],[[null],[null],[169.4847755],[149.9872365]],[[177.7740076],[152.9336978],[158.7222077],[167.0551697]],[[170.4448513],[163.9686354],[201.1862952],[181.3364892]],[[190.9585512],[173.3517434],[214.5233901],[197.4826119]],[[211.61832],[181.0471833],[193.0122651],[214.321455]],[[216.3566464],[195.9749602],[207.6312225],[217.4981058]],[[224.6520866],[128.828814],[138.4482053],[184.0546837]],[[218.3934389],[264.2332338],[298.0170134],[305.5737167]],[[333.079308],[342.8040258],[361.5832336],[331.845184]],[[344.2602532],[297.4827387],[286.2061497],[292.9148497]],[[288.1493875],[247.9107396],[251.8893406],[227.3830557]],[[249.2067678],[null],[null],[null]]]
[]
[{"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":"('000)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"('000)","table_units":"('000)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]Source: Longitudinal Labour Force, Australia
| 2014 ('000) | 2015 ('000) | 2016 ('000) | 2017 ('000) | 2018 ('000) | 2019 ('000) | 2020 ('000) | 2021 ('000) | 2022 ('000) | 2023 ('000) | 2024 ('000) | 2025 ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb | 332.6 | 336.4 | 357.3 | 312.5 | 311.3 | 354.1 | 314.8 | 276.9 | 286.7 | 306.5 | 300.1 | |
| May | 289.6 | 265.1 | 237.0 | 271.5 | 264.3 | 703.4 | 238.4 | 224.2 | 248.8 | 263.2 | ||
| Aug | 335.6 | 304.1 | 306.5 | 252.2 | 274.9 | 292.1 | 386.9 | 309.1 | 264.1 | 273.1 | 288.1 | |
| Nov | 312.6 | 293.0 | 263.7 | 260.6 | 269.3 | 260.5 | 310.7 | 267.4 | 220.3 | 266.9 | 258.2 |
Chart 2: Involuntary job loss
["","2014","2015","2016","2017","2018","2019","2020","2021","2022","2023","2024","2025"]
[["Feb","May","Aug","Nov"],[[null],[null],[335.5679256],[312.6092675]],[[332.595661],[289.5680763],[304.1392943],[292.9683385]],[[336.3515174],[265.1090318],[306.4895917],[263.7462717]],[[357.296988],[236.9891341],[252.2120953],[260.5740169]],[[312.5432481],[271.4661789],[274.8507979],[269.2577893]],[[311.2729606],[264.2742938],[292.0855021],[260.4585008]],[[354.0767091],[703.3514062],[386.8917939],[310.7068686]],[[314.7701177],[238.4192396],[309.0656347],[267.3593261]],[[276.9334224],[224.2492961],[264.0762971],[220.2837389]],[[286.6749062],[248.8288763],[273.0565934],[266.8978762]],[[306.4840145],[263.157931],[288.0718397],[258.1958875]],[[300.0661172],[null],[null],[null]]]
[]
[{"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":"('000)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"('000)","table_units":"('000)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]Source: Longitudinal Labour Force, Australia
| 2014 ('000) | 2015 ('000) | 2016 ('000) | 2017 ('000) | 2018 ('000) | 2019 ('000) | 2020 ('000) | 2021 ('000) | 2022 ('000) | 2023 ('000) | 2024 ('000) | 2025 ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb | 19.0 | 20.3 | 17.2 | 21.6 | 23.5 | 18.1 | 26.5 | 26.9 | 27.2 | 25.5 | 32.1 | |
| May | 13.2 | 8.4 | 15.7 | 18.4 | 14.3 | 13.1 | 18.2 | 20.4 | 25.1 | 21.2 | ||
| Aug | 16.0 | 14.2 | 18.3 | 15.3 | 24.7 | 17.5 | 13.6 | 28.7 | 27.4 | 17.1 | 30.4 | |
| Nov | 16.9 | 15.2 | 11.4 | 17.1 | 21.4 | 17.4 | 14.0 | 17.8 | 21.6 | 19.4 | 25.4 |
Chart 3: Retiring
["","2014","2015","2016","2017","2018","2019","2020","2021","2022","2023","2024","2025"]
[["Feb","May","Aug","Nov"],[[null],[null],[16.03262868],[16.85338694]],[[18.95358619],[13.17284622],[14.18742454],[15.23799886]],[[20.2721968],[8.4187097],[18.29361937],[11.42849069]],[[17.18781782],[15.74984103],[15.30667092],[17.07515976]],[[21.55277352],[18.39061293],[24.67091371],[21.35972088]],[[23.52809052],[14.26968315],[17.52335133],[17.37380778]],[[18.09297232],[13.14649602],[13.59654274],[13.96531957]],[[26.45169232],[18.18624994],[28.7468645],[17.82946607]],[[26.90348431],[20.35023935],[27.40047231],[21.56917309]],[[27.18879062],[25.08897023],[17.07781281],[19.41774082]],[[25.53536955],[21.19768222],[30.3791697],[25.40263042]],[[32.07770136],[null],[null],[null]]]
[]
[{"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":"('000)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"('000)","table_units":"('000)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]Source: Longitudinal Labour Force, Australia
| 2014 ('000) | 2015 ('000) | 2016 ('000) | 2017 ('000) | 2018 ('000) | 2019 ('000) | 2020 ('000) | 2021 ('000) | 2022 ('000) | 2023 ('000) | 2024 ('000) | 2025 ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb | 163.2 | 171.7 | 192.6 | 180.7 | 181.1 | 164.8 | 153.1 | 175.6 | 186.5 | 187.8 | 154.6 | |
| May | 137.9 | 140.2 | 133.6 | 139.1 | 145.2 | 81.4 | 154.3 | 180.8 | 149.9 | 133.6 | ||
| Aug | 141.7 | 145.8 | 135.0 | 143.7 | 164.7 | 153.0 | 78.4 | 152.2 | 165.0 | 163.3 | 155.3 | |
| Nov | 135.6 | 128.4 | 126.7 | 134.8 | 144.2 | 143.5 | 97.6 | 139.4 | 183.6 | 156.1 | 131.9 |
Chart 4: Study, family and other personal reasons
["","2014","2015","2016","2017","2018","2019","2020","2021","2022","2023","2024","2025"]
[["Feb","May","Aug","Nov"],[[null],[null],[141.7165892],[135.607321]],[[163.2025148],[137.9001562],[145.7649738],[128.4291601]],[[171.7425429],[140.2378627],[134.9700744],[126.697156]],[[192.5716807],[133.5927394],[143.6918823],[134.8137313]],[[180.7389183],[139.1133564],[164.7029083],[144.2289379]],[[181.1366203],[145.2046563],[153.0356506],[143.4890186]],[[164.7911803],[81.37045966],[78.41548406],[97.59910402]],[[153.1089888],[154.3456114],[152.1525016],[139.4155425]],[[175.5871545],[180.777798],[164.9546826],[183.6417722]],[[186.5352622],[149.9271742],[163.2884974],[156.0542768]],[[187.7772365],[133.6268078],[155.3146426],[131.9283864]],[[154.5719759],[null],[null],[null]]]
[]
[{"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":"('000)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"('000)","table_units":"('000)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]Source: Longitudinal Labour Force, Australia
| 2014 ('000) | 2015 ('000) | 2016 ('000) | 2017 ('000) | 2018 ('000) | 2019 ('000) | 2020 ('000) | 2021 ('000) | 2022 ('000) | 2023 ('000) | 2024 ('000) | 2025 ('000) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb | 62.9 | 71.3 | 61.0 | 63.0 | 77.7 | 84.1 | 100.1 | 128.7 | 117.4 | 114.8 | 106.0 | |
| May | 52.6 | 53.5 | 53.4 | 61.6 | 65.8 | 263.7 | 73.9 | 98.7 | 96.1 | 109.9 | ||
| Aug | 62.6 | 48.9 | 60.0 | 72.9 | 64.5 | 71.7 | 148.6 | 162.8 | 91.6 | 108.4 | 101.6 | |
| Nov | 55.0 | 59.7 | 69.3 | 60.2 | 54.1 | 75.6 | 108.8 | 144.6 | 85.2 | 103.6 | 93.0 |
Chart 5: Other reasons left or lost last job
["","2014","2015","2016","2017","2018","2019","2020","2021","2022","2023","2024","2025"]
[["Feb","May","Aug","Nov"],[[null],[null],[62.59248451],[55.0064635]],[[62.948336],[52.63359385],[48.89410635],[59.69354297]],[[71.33369891],[53.4974316],[60.01470733],[69.33264149]],[[61.04699081],[53.39109094],[72.89229302],[60.16734493]],[[62.99318669],[61.63307224],[64.54517536],[54.05874421]],[[77.70580957],[65.75770501],[71.67319289],[75.63188513]],[[84.06216641],[263.6627102],[148.6235479],[108.797059]],[[100.099134],[73.93160616],[162.8270156],[144.5685606]],[[128.7226043],[98.70035971],[91.60211309],[85.17269238]],[[117.3861596],[96.05715948],[108.4360798],[103.6322777]],[[114.8146913],[109.8917158],[101.56961],[92.98715712]],[[105.9587492],[null],[null],[null]]]
[]
[{"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":"('000)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"('000)","table_units":"('000)","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]Source: Longitudinal Labour Force, Australia
The ABS always seeks to provide guidance and advice to users to assist in interpreting changes in Labour Force data over time.
If you have a question or have any feedback on additional explanatory that would be useful, please contact us at labour.statistics@abs.gov.au.