Participation, Job Search and Mobility, Australia

Latest release

Labour participation potential, underemployment and job attachment, job search experience, labour mobility, hours worked, industry and occupation.

Reference period
February 2023

Key statistics

During the year ending February 2023:

  • 1.8 million people were not working but wanted to work (potential workers).
  • Job mobility remained at 9.5% for a second year in a row, the highest rate in a decade.
  • The annual retrenchment rate was 1.4%, the lowest annual rate on record (since 1972).

Topics

Statistics from the Participation, Job Search and Mobility (PJSM) survey are published in three topic-based releases.

Microdata and Tablebuilder

PJSM microdata for 2015 to 2023 is now available in ABS DataLab, released as a supplementary file for the Longitudinal Labour Force (LLFS) microdata. All existing users of the LLFS microdata will automatically get access to the additional file and new users can apply for access to both files. 

A detailed data item list for the PJSM microdata is available in Microdata and TableBuilder: Participation, Job Search and Mobility

The release of PJSM data into TableBuilder has been delayed until later in the year.

Data downloads

How to use tables

  1. Select a state or territory
  2. The estimates shown in the table are for the most recent time period (February 2023)
  3. The corresponding Time Series ID links to series of annual estimates for earlier time periods (2015 to 2022)
Screenshot of a Table showing how to use the layout to find the latest estimates plus links to Time series data for previous estimates

Potential workers

Data files

Relative standard errors, Tables 1 to 9

Data files

Relative standard errors, Tables 1 to 7

Underemployed workers

Data files

Relative standard errors, Tables 2 to 8

Microdata and TableBuilder

Data files

Post release changes

5 July 2023:

  • References to "jobactive Australia" were replaced with "Workforce Australia" in the data item "All steps taken to find work or more hours in the last 12 months" in Table 6 of Potential workers and Table 7 of Underemployed workers. There were no changes to the data, and the questions asked in the February 2023 survey were already updated to ask about engagement with Workforce Australia providers, not jobactive. 

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 6226.0* (and 6226.0.55.001 in 2014).

Prior to 2014, statistics were published in:

 

* Note: Catalogue number 6226.0 was previously used for School Leavers, 1970 to 1974: their Employment Status and Education Experience, May 1975.

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