Payroll jobs and wages estimates, sourced from Single Touch Payroll (STP) data
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:
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.
In the fortnight to 18 December 2021:
| In the fortnight since 4 December 2021 | In the month since 20 November 2021 | In the year since 19 December 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll jobs | -0.5% | -0.1% | 3.2% |
| Total wages | 0.2% | 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.
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:
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%)
| In the fortnight since 4 December 2021 | In the month since 20 November 2021 | In 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% |
In the fortnight to 18 December 2021, the largest changes in total wages paid were:
| In the fortnight since 4 December 2021 | In the month since 20 November 2021 | In the year since 19 December 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | -1.3% | 2.2% | 6.9% |
| Victoria | 2.7% | 5.5% | 9.8% |
| Queensland | 0.4% | 2.4% | 9.8% |
| South Australia | 0.3% | 2.5% | 10.2% |
| Western Australia | -1.6% | 1.2% | 10.7% |
| Tasmania | 1.1% | 4.1% | 8.9% |
| Northern Territory | -1.3% | 0.5% | 9.6% |
| Australian Capital Territory | 1.2% | 2.5% | 9.3% |
| Australia | 0.2% | 3.0% | 9.0% |
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.
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%)
The ACT only has one GCCSA region for the entire Territory.
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.
In the fortnight to 18 December 2021, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:
| In the fortnight since 4 December 2021 | In the month since 20 November 2021 | In the year since 19 December 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Males | -0.8% | -1.0% | 0.0% |
| Females | -0.5% | 0.0% | 2.2% | |
| Age group (years) | 15-19 | 4.5% | 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.
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%
| In the fortnight since 4 December 2021 | In the month since 20 November 2021 | In the year since 19 December 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Males | 0.9% | 2.8% | 7.2% |
| Females | -1.1% | 2.8% | 9.4% | |
| Age group (years) | 15-19 | 10.3% | 17.2% | 16.4% |
| 20-29 | 0.7% | 2.6% | 9.6% | |
| 30-39 | 0.1% | 2.2% | 8.8% | |
| 40-49 | 0.1% | 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 persons | 0.2% | 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.
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.
In the fortnight to 18 December 2021, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:
| In the fortnight since 4 December 2021 | In the month since 20 November 2021 | In 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 trade | 0.7% | 1.9% | 1.7% |
| Accommodation and food services | 0.1% | 0.6% | -6.0% |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | -0.7% | -0.3% | -2.4% |
| Information media and telecommunications | 0.2% | 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 assistance | 0.0% | 0.1% | 4.8% |
| Arts and recreation services | 1.2% | 4.3% | 4.1% |
| Other services | -0.1% | -0.5% | -2.2% |
| All industries | -0.5% | -0.1% | 3.2% |
Some industries experience pronounced seasonality in either payroll jobs and wages or both. For more information, see Seasonality in Data variability and revisions.
In the fortnight to 18 December 2021, the largest changes in total wages paid were:
| In the fortnight since 4 December 2021 | In the month since 20 November 2021 | In the year since 19 December 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 3.9% | 5.2% | 7.4% |
| Mining | -2.2% | -2.0% | 9.8% |
| Manufacturing | 4.1% | 4.3% | 3.3% |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 2.4% | 1.6% | 6.4% |
| Construction | 3.4% | 4.0% | 3.4% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.2% | 1.4% | 6.0% |
| Retail trade | 3.2% | 5.8% | 6.9% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1.7% | 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 services | 11.7% | 21.1% | 21.4% |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 0.4% | 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 assistance | 0.3% | 0.0% | 8.5% |
| Arts and recreation services | 2.6% | 6.1% | 10.7% |
| Other services | 0.8% | 1.0% | 2.7% |
| All industries | 0.2% | 3.0% | 9.0% |
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.
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.
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.
| In the fortnight since 6 November 2021 | In the month since 23 October2021 | In the year since 21 November 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20 employees | 0.5% | 1.7% | 7.2% |
| 20-199 employees | 0.7% | 1.9% | 0.5% |
| 200 employees and over | 0.9% | 1.8% | 3.2% |
| All businesses | 0.8% | 1.8% | 3.6% |
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:
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.
Contains selected distributions of jobholder and employer characteristics, available in this release since 9 September 2021.
Contains estimates of payroll jobs by employment size, including state and territory dimension, updated to the week ending 20 November 2021.
Contains estimates of payroll jobs by 5 year age groups.
Contains estimates of payroll jobs by private sector for selected industry divisions, available in this release since 7 October 2021.
The following section was updated in this release:
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
Payroll job outputs will be expanded over 2022. The availability in specific releases is yet to be determined. Expected Data download templates are available on request at labour.statistics@abs.gov.au.
In alphabetical order, the planned outputs are:
Labour statistics have traditionally been organised into two thematic groupings on the ABS website: 'Employment and unemployment'; and 'Earnings and work hours'. The ABS is planning to update these themes to better reflect the current range of available labour statistics, better align key labour market concepts with website themes and navigation, and improve discoverability.
The planned new themes are:
These new thematic groupings and navigation (and the statistical releases which will appear under each theme) can be viewed on our Beta website, at beta.abs.gov.au/statistics.html#labour.
The key changes include:
The changes are expected to be implemented in the first half of 2022. While implementation of these changes will result in a change to the placement of some statistical releases, and their respective URLs, there will be automatic redirects put in place. These redirects will ensure that existing URLs and bookmarks will continue to work.
If you have any feedback or questions on this new approach, please email us at labour.statistics@abs.gov.au.
Previously published articles and information of interest are linked below:
This release previously used catalogue number 6160.0.55.001.