Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia

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Payroll jobs and wages estimates, sourced from Single Touch Payroll (STP) data

Reference period

Week ending 31 July 2021

Released

26/08/2021

View all releases

Key statistics

Between the weeks ending 17 and 31 July 2021:

Payroll jobs decreased by 2.0%
Total wages paid decreased by 2.7%

Wages estimates reinstated

Higher than usual variation in business payroll reporting around the end of financial year saw the temporary suspension of wages estimates in the last two releases. Wages estimates have been reinstated in this release, but continue to show volatility around the end of financial year period. Users should use caution when referring to wages estimates across June and July.

Reduction in volatility in latest weeks of data

The time between the reference week and the release date has been extended to allow for more complete business reporting, improving the quality of estimates by reducing volatility in the most recent weeks of data. For more information, see the Imputation section of How data are processed.

National

In the fortnight up to the week ending 31 July 2021:

Payroll jobs decreased by 2.0%, compared to a decrease of 1.8% in the previous fortnight
Total wages paid decreased by 2.7%, compared to a decrease of 3.2% in the previous fortnight

Table 1 - Percentage change in payroll jobs and total wages
	In the fortnight since 17 Jul 2021	In the month since 03 Jul 2021	In the year since 01 Aug 2020
Payroll jobs	-2.0%	-3.7%	1.7%
Total wages	-2.7%	-5.8%	5.2%

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.

Graph 1 - Payroll jobs and total wages, indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020 (a)(b)
Week ending	Payroll jobs (pts)	Total wages (pts)
01-Aug-20	99.3	97.5
08-Aug-20	99.3	98.0
15-Aug-20	99.2	97.5
22-Aug-20	99.3	97.5
29-Aug-20	99.4	97.7
05-Sep-20	99.7	100.4
12-Sep-20	100.1	101.5
19-Sep-20	100.3	102.1
26-Sep-20	100.1	101.4
03-Oct-20	99.4	99.1
10-Oct-20	99.5	97.7
17-Oct-20	100.4	98.4
24-Oct-20	100.7	97.9
31-Oct-20	100.9	97.9
07-Nov-20	101.3	99.2
14-Nov-20	102.1	100.1
21-Nov-20	102.4	100.2
28-Nov-20	102.7	101.5
05-Dec-20	103.2	103.2
12-Dec-20	103.3	103.8
19-Dec-20	102.6	103.7
26-Dec-20	98.7	98.2
02-Jan-21	96.0	95.0
09-Jan-21	97.6	96.4
16-Jan-21	99.7	98.6
23-Jan-21	100.7	99.1
30-Jan-21	101.2	99.4
06-Feb-21	101.7	102.9
13-Feb-21	102.4	104.0
20-Feb-21	102.7	104.2
27-Feb-21	103.1	104.8
06-Mar-21	103.3	105.5
13-Mar-21	103.7	105.4
20-Mar-21	103.8	105.4
27-Mar-21	103.6	105.7
03-Apr-21	102.7	105.0
10-Apr-21	102.4	103.5
17-Apr-21	102.7	103.9
24-Apr-21	103.0	103.5
01-May-21	103.4	104.1
08-May-21	104.0	104.0
15-May-21	104.6	104.8
22-May-21	104.8	105.0
29-May-21	104.5	104.4
05-Jun-21	104.0	105.3
12-Jun-21	104.2	106.4
19-Jun-21	104.4	107.2
26-Jun-21	104.3	108.2
03-Jul-21	104.9	108.7
10-Jul-21	103.9	106.5
17-Jul-21	103.0	105.3
24-Jul-21	101.7	103.8
31-Jul-21	101.0	102.5

 Graph 1 - Payroll jobs and total wages, indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020 (a)(b)

["Week ending","Payroll jobs","Total wages"]

[["01-Aug-20","08-Aug-20","15-Aug-20","22-Aug-20","29-Aug-20","05-Sep-20","12-Sep-20","19-Sep-20","26-Sep-20","03-Oct-20","10-Oct-20","17-Oct-20","24-Oct-20","31-Oct-20","07-Nov-20","14-Nov-20","21-Nov-20","28-Nov-20","05-Dec-20","12-Dec-20","19-Dec-20","26-Dec-20","02-Jan-21","09-Jan-21","16-Jan-21","23-Jan-21","30-Jan-21","06-Feb-21","13-Feb-21","20-Feb-21","27-Feb-21","06-Mar-21","13-Mar-21","20-Mar-21","27-Mar-21","03-Apr-21","10-Apr-21","17-Apr-21","24-Apr-21","01-May-21","08-May-21","15-May-21","22-May-21","29-May-21","05-Jun-21","12-Jun-21","19-Jun-21","26-Jun-21","03-Jul-21","10-Jul-21","17-Jul-21","24-Jul-21","31-Jul-21"],[[99.299999999999997],[99.299999999999997],[99.200000000000003],[99.299999999999997],[99.400000000000006],[99.700000000000003],[100.09999999999999],[100.3],[100.09999999999999],[99.400000000000006],[99.5],[100.40000000000001],[100.7],[100.90000000000001],[101.3],[102.09999999999999],[102.40000000000001],[102.7],[103.2],[103.3],[102.59999999999999],[98.700000000000003],[96],[97.599999999999994],[99.700000000000003],[100.7],[101.2],[101.7],[102.40000000000001],[102.7],[103.09999999999999],[103.3],[103.7],[103.8],[103.59999999999999],[102.7],[102.40000000000001],[102.7],[103],[103.40000000000001],[104],[104.59999999999999],[104.8],[104.5],[104],[104.2],[104.40000000000001],[104.3],[104.90000000000001],[103.90000000000001],[103],[101.7],[101]],[[97.5],[98],[97.5],[97.5],[97.700000000000003],[100.40000000000001],[101.5],[102.09999999999999],[101.40000000000001],[99.099999999999994],[97.700000000000003],[98.400000000000006],[97.900000000000006],[97.900000000000006],[99.200000000000003],[100.09999999999999],[100.2],[101.5],[103.2],[103.8],[103.7],[98.200000000000003],[95],[96.400000000000006],[98.599999999999994],[99.099999999999994],[99.400000000000006],[102.90000000000001],[104],[104.2],[104.8],[105.5],[105.40000000000001],[105.40000000000001],[105.7],[105],[103.5],[103.90000000000001],[103.5],[104.09999999999999],[104],[104.8],[105],[104.40000000000001],[105.3],[106.40000000000001],[107.2],[108.2],[108.7],[106.5],[105.3],[103.8],[102.5]]]

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Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in estimates. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.
Payroll jobs and wages data during June and July see a greater variation in business payroll reporting around the end of financial year. For more information, see Variation in revisions in Data limitations and revisions.

State and territory

All geographical areas in this release represent the residential address of the jobholder.

The largest changes in states and territories in the fortnight up to the week ending 31 July 2021 were:

Payroll jobs:

New South Wales decreased by 3.7%
South Australia decreased by 2.7%

Total wages:

South Australia decreased by 4.6%
New South Wales decreased by 4.3%

Table 2 - Percentage change by states and territories
	Payroll jobs		Total wages
	Change between 17 Jul 2021 and 31 Jul 2021 (a)	Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 31 Jul 2021	Change between 17 Jul 2021 and 31 Jul 2021 (a)	Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 31 Jul 2021
New South Wales	-3.7%	-3.2%	-4.3%	-1.6%
Victoria	-1.3%	1.4%	-2.0%	5.0%
Queensland	-1.3%	3.5%	-2.1%	4.7%
South Australia	-2.7%	2.3%	-4.6%	2.0%
Western Australia	0.0%	6.5%	-0.3%	4.0%
Tasmania	-0.6%	1.3%	-1.6%	2.7%
Northern Territory	-0.2%	6.3%	-1.3%	5.3%
Australian Capital Territory	-0.9%	1.8%	-1.3%	6.2%
Australia	-2.0%	1.0%	-2.7%	2.5%

a. Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in estimates. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.

An additional index of Australian payroll jobs with New South Wales excluded (Rest of Australia) is available below, providing alternative insights into the period of increased COVID-19 restrictions in New South Wales.

Graph 2 - Payroll jobs by selected geography, indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020 (a)
Week ending	New South Wales (pts)	Rest of Australia (pts)
01-Aug-20	100.5	98.7
08-Aug-20	100.7	98.7
15-Aug-20	100.8	98.5
22-Aug-20	100.8	98.6
29-Aug-20	101.0	98.7
05-Sep-20	101.4	98.9
12-Sep-20	101.6	99.4
19-Sep-20	101.8	99.6
26-Sep-20	101.8	99.3
03-Oct-20	100.8	98.7
10-Oct-20	100.6	99.0
17-Oct-20	101.6	99.8
24-Oct-20	101.9	100.1
31-Oct-20	101.9	100.4
07-Nov-20	102.2	100.9
14-Nov-20	102.8	101.7
21-Nov-20	103.4	102.0
28-Nov-20	103.5	102.4
05-Dec-20	103.7	103.0
12-Dec-20	103.7	103.2
19-Dec-20	103.0	102.4
26-Dec-20	99.4	98.4
02-Jan-21	96.5	95.8
09-Jan-21	98.1	97.3
16-Jan-21	100.3	99.5
23-Jan-21	101.3	100.5
30-Jan-21	101.8	101.0
06-Feb-21	102.2	101.4
13-Feb-21	103.0	102.1
20-Feb-21	103.0	102.5
27-Feb-21	103.4	103.0
06-Mar-21	103.6	103.2
13-Mar-21	104.0	103.5
20-Mar-21	104.0	103.7
27-Mar-21	103.9	103.5
03-Apr-21	103.2	102.5
10-Apr-21	102.6	102.3
17-Apr-21	103.0	102.6
24-Apr-21	103.3	102.9
01-May-21	103.6	103.3
08-May-21	104.0	104.0
15-May-21	104.5	104.6
22-May-21	104.8	104.8
29-May-21	104.8	104.4
05-Jun-21	104.6	103.7
12-Jun-21	104.8	104.0
19-Jun-21	104.6	104.3
26-Jun-21	104.2	104.3
03-Jul-21	104.4	105.1
10-Jul-21	102.1	104.8
17-Jul-21	100.5	104.2
24-Jul-21	98.7	103.1
31-Jul-21	96.8	103.0

Graph 2 - Payroll jobs by selected geography, indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020 (a)

["Week ending","New South Wales","Rest of Australia"]

[["01-Aug-20","08-Aug-20","15-Aug-20","22-Aug-20","29-Aug-20","05-Sep-20","12-Sep-20","19-Sep-20","26-Sep-20","03-Oct-20","10-Oct-20","17-Oct-20","24-Oct-20","31-Oct-20","07-Nov-20","14-Nov-20","21-Nov-20","28-Nov-20","05-Dec-20","12-Dec-20","19-Dec-20","26-Dec-20","02-Jan-21","09-Jan-21","16-Jan-21","23-Jan-21","30-Jan-21","06-Feb-21","13-Feb-21","20-Feb-21","27-Feb-21","06-Mar-21","13-Mar-21","20-Mar-21","27-Mar-21","03-Apr-21","10-Apr-21","17-Apr-21","24-Apr-21","01-May-21","08-May-21","15-May-21","22-May-21","29-May-21","05-Jun-21","12-Jun-21","19-Jun-21","26-Jun-21","03-Jul-21","10-Jul-21","17-Jul-21","24-Jul-21","31-Jul-21"],[[100.5],[100.7],[100.8],[100.8],[101],[101.40000000000001],[101.59999999999999],[101.8],[101.8],[100.8],[100.59999999999999],[101.59999999999999],[101.90000000000001],[101.90000000000001],[102.2],[102.8],[103.40000000000001],[103.5],[103.7],[103.7],[103],[99.400000000000006],[96.5],[98.099999999999994],[100.3],[101.3],[101.8],[102.2],[103],[103],[103.40000000000001],[103.59999999999999],[104],[104],[103.90000000000001],[103.2],[102.59999999999999],[103],[103.3],[103.59999999999999],[104],[104.5],[104.8],[104.8],[104.59999999999999],[104.8],[104.59999999999999],[104.2],[104.40000000000001],[102.09999999999999],[100.5],[98.700000000000003],[96.799999999999997]],[[98.700000000000003],[98.700000000000003],[98.5],[98.599999999999994],[98.700000000000003],[98.900000000000006],[99.400000000000006],[99.599999999999994],[99.299999999999997],[98.700000000000003],[99],[99.799999999999997],[100.09999999999999],[100.40000000000001],[100.90000000000001],[101.7],[102],[102.40000000000001],[103],[103.2],[102.40000000000001],[98.400000000000006],[95.799999999999997],[97.299999999999997],[99.5],[100.5],[101],[101.40000000000001],[102.09999999999999],[102.5],[103],[103.2],[103.5],[103.7],[103.5],[102.5],[102.3],[102.59999999999999],[102.90000000000001],[103.3],[104],[104.59999999999999],[104.8],[104.40000000000001],[103.7],[104],[104.3],[104.3],[105.09999999999999],[104.8],[104.2],[103.09999999999999],[103]]]

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a. Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in estimates. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.

Map 1 - State and territory percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 31 July 2021

This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 31 July 2021, by the state and territory of the jobholder's residential address.

- New South Wales (-3.7%)
- Victoria (-1.3%)
- Queensland (-1.3%)
- South Australia (-2.7%)
- Western Australia (0.0%)
- Tasmania (-0.6%)
- Northern Territory (-0.2%)
- Australian Capital Territory (-0.9%)

Sub-state - payroll jobs

Time series estimates of payroll jobs by sub-state regions, Statistical Area 4 (SA4) and Statistical Area 3 (SA3) and Greater Capital City Area (GCCSA) regions, are presented as index values in Table 5 and 5A of the Data downloads.

For more information on the geography used in this release, see the Glossary.

Map 2 - GCCSA regions percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 31 July 2021

This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 31 July 2021, by the GCCSA region of the jobholder's residential address.
- Greater Sydney (-4.9%)
- Rest of New South Wales (-1.5%)
- Greater Melbourne (-1.4%)
- Rest of Victoria (-1.1%)
- Greater Brisbane (-1.4%)
- Rest of Queensland (-1.3%)
- Greater Adelaide (-2.5%)
- Rest of South Australia (-3.3%)
- Greater Perth (-0.1%)
- Rest of Western Australia (0.0%)
- Greater Hobart (-0.2%)
- Rest of Tasmania (-1.1%)
- Greater Darwin (-0.4%)
- Rest of Northern Territory (-0.2%)
- Australian Capital Territory (-0.9%)

The ACT only has one GCCSA region for the entire Territory.

Sex

In the fortnight up to the week ending 31 July 2021:

Payroll jobs:

Worked by males decreased by 2.2%
Worked by females decreased by 1.7%

Total wages:

Payments to males decreased by 3.2%
Payments to females decreased by 2.0%

Table 3 - Percentage change by sex (a)
	Payroll jobs		Total wages
	Change between 17 Jul 2021 and 31 Jul 2021 (b)	Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 31 Jul 2021	Change between 17 Jul 2021 and 31 Jul 2021 (b)	Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 31 Jul 2021
Males	-2.2%	-1.3%	-3.2%	0.3%
Females	-1.7%	0.0%	-2.0%	4.8%
All persons	-2.0%	1.0%	-2.7%	2.5%

a. Persons with 'unknown' sex are only included in the calculation of All persons indexes. For more information, see Data components, totals and index calculation in Data limitations and revisions.
b. Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in estimates. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.

Graph 3 - Payroll jobs by sex, indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020 (a)
Week ending	Males (pts)	Females (pts)
01-Aug-20	99.5	98.9
08-Aug-20	99.6	98.8
15-Aug-20	99.6	98.7
22-Aug-20	99.7	98.7
29-Aug-20	99.7	98.9
05-Sep-20	99.9	99.2
12-Sep-20	100.2	99.6
19-Sep-20	100.4	99.8
26-Sep-20	100.2	99.5
03-Oct-20	99.6	98.5
10-Oct-20	99.7	98.7
17-Oct-20	100.3	99.7
24-Oct-20	100.4	100.2
31-Oct-20	100.4	100.5
07-Nov-20	100.7	101.0
14-Nov-20	101.5	101.6
21-Nov-20	101.7	102.1
28-Nov-20	101.9	102.4
05-Dec-20	102.2	102.9
12-Dec-20	102.3	102.8
19-Dec-20	101.4	102.1
26-Dec-20	97.4	98.6
02-Jan-21	94.9	95.8
09-Jan-21	96.8	96.8
16-Jan-21	99.2	98.6
23-Jan-21	100.1	99.5
30-Jan-21	100.5	100.1
06-Feb-21	100.9	100.5
13-Feb-21	101.5	101.3
20-Feb-21	101.6	101.7
27-Feb-21	101.9	102.2
06-Mar-21	102.0	102.5
13-Mar-21	102.2	102.8
20-Mar-21	102.3	102.9
27-Mar-21	102.1	102.7
03-Apr-21	101.3	101.8
10-Apr-21	101.0	101.3
17-Apr-21	101.4	101.4
24-Apr-21	101.5	101.9
01-May-21	101.7	102.3
08-May-21	102.1	103.1
15-May-21	102.6	103.7
22-May-21	102.7	104.0
29-May-21	102.4	103.7
05-Jun-21	101.8	103.1
12-Jun-21	102.0	103.3
19-Jun-21	101.9	103.6
26-Jun-21	101.7	103.7
03-Jul-21	102.4	104.0
10-Jul-21	101.8	102.6
17-Jul-21	100.9	101.8
24-Jul-21	99.7	100.4
31-Jul-21	98.7	100.0

Graph 3 - Payroll jobs by sex, indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020 (a)

["Week ending","Males","Females"]

[["01-Aug-20","08-Aug-20","15-Aug-20","22-Aug-20","29-Aug-20","05-Sep-20","12-Sep-20","19-Sep-20","26-Sep-20","03-Oct-20","10-Oct-20","17-Oct-20","24-Oct-20","31-Oct-20","07-Nov-20","14-Nov-20","21-Nov-20","28-Nov-20","05-Dec-20","12-Dec-20","19-Dec-20","26-Dec-20","02-Jan-21","09-Jan-21","16-Jan-21","23-Jan-21","30-Jan-21","06-Feb-21","13-Feb-21","20-Feb-21","27-Feb-21","06-Mar-21","13-Mar-21","20-Mar-21","27-Mar-21","03-Apr-21","10-Apr-21","17-Apr-21","24-Apr-21","01-May-21","08-May-21","15-May-21","22-May-21","29-May-21","05-Jun-21","12-Jun-21","19-Jun-21","26-Jun-21","03-Jul-21","10-Jul-21","17-Jul-21","24-Jul-21","31-Jul-21"],[[99.5],[99.599999999999994],[99.599999999999994],[99.700000000000003],[99.700000000000003],[99.900000000000006],[100.2],[100.40000000000001],[100.2],[99.599999999999994],[99.700000000000003],[100.3],[100.40000000000001],[100.40000000000001],[100.7],[101.5],[101.7],[101.90000000000001],[102.2],[102.3],[101.40000000000001],[97.400000000000006],[94.900000000000006],[96.799999999999997],[99.200000000000003],[100.09999999999999],[100.5],[100.90000000000001],[101.5],[101.59999999999999],[101.90000000000001],[102],[102.2],[102.3],[102.09999999999999],[101.3],[101],[101.40000000000001],[101.5],[101.7],[102.09999999999999],[102.59999999999999],[102.7],[102.40000000000001],[101.8],[102],[101.90000000000001],[101.7],[102.40000000000001],[101.8],[100.90000000000001],[99.700000000000003],[98.700000000000003]],[[98.900000000000006],[98.799999999999997],[98.700000000000003],[98.700000000000003],[98.900000000000006],[99.200000000000003],[99.599999999999994],[99.799999999999997],[99.5],[98.5],[98.700000000000003],[99.700000000000003],[100.2],[100.5],[101],[101.59999999999999],[102.09999999999999],[102.40000000000001],[102.90000000000001],[102.8],[102.09999999999999],[98.599999999999994],[95.799999999999997],[96.799999999999997],[98.599999999999994],[99.5],[100.09999999999999],[100.5],[101.3],[101.7],[102.2],[102.5],[102.8],[102.90000000000001],[102.7],[101.8],[101.3],[101.40000000000001],[101.90000000000001],[102.3],[103.09999999999999],[103.7],[104],[103.7],[103.09999999999999],[103.3],[103.59999999999999],[103.7],[104],[102.59999999999999],[101.8],[100.40000000000001],[100]]]

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Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in payroll jobs. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.

Age group

The largest changes in age groups in the fortnight up to the week ending 31 July 2021 were:

Payroll jobs:

Worked by persons aged 15-19 decreased by 3.1%
Worked by persons aged 20-29 decreased by 3.0%

Total wages:

Payments to persons aged 15-19 decreased by 5.8%
Payments to persons aged 20-29 and 70 years and over both decreased by 3.9%

Table 4 - Percentage change by age group
	Payroll jobs		Total wages
	Change between 17 Jul 2021 and 31 Jul 2021 (a)	Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 31 Jul 2021	Change between 17 Jul 2021 and 31 Jul 2021 (a)	Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 31 Jul 2021
15-19 year olds	-3.1%	-2.6%	-5.8%	-3.5%
20-29 year olds	-3.0%	-2.2%	-3.9%	1.6%
30-39 year olds	-1.7%	1.9%	-2.7%	3.1%
40-49 year olds	-1.3%	1.4%	-2.1%	1.0%
50-59 year olds	-1.4%	2.3%	-2.0%	2.6%
60-69 year olds	-1.7%	5.4%	-2.8%	8.0%
Aged 70 years and over	-2.7%	5.0%	-3.9%	12.3%
All persons	-2.0%	1.0%	-2.7%	2.5%

a. Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in estimates. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.

5 year age groups

Time series estimates of payroll jobs by 5 year age groups are presented as index values in Table 8 of the Data downloads.

Industry

The largest changes in industries in the fortnight up to the week ending 31 July 2021 were:

Payroll jobs:

Arts and recreation services decreased by 5.9%
Accommodation and food services decreased by 5.8%

Total wages:

Accommodation and food services decreased by 8.7%
Arts and recreation services decreased by 6.1%

Table 5 - Percentage change by industry
	Payroll jobs (a)		Total wages (a)
	Change between 17 Jul 2021 and 31 Jul 2021 (b)	Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 31 Jul 2021	Change between 17 Jul 2021 and 31 Jul 2021 (b)	Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 31 Jul 2021
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	-2.9%	-0.1%	-2.6%	2.9%
Mining	-1.2%	1.0%	-0.5%	-15.0%
Manufacturing	-1.5%	-2.4%	-3.2%	-4.8%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	-0.8%	3.2%	0.0%	-1.6%
Construction	-4.0%	-1.3%	-5.8%	-1.5%
Wholesale trade	-2.3%	-2.2%	-3.1%	-3.3%
Retail trade	-2.7%	-1.5%	-6.0%	-0.9%
Accommodation and food services	-5.8%	-14.1%	-8.7%	-18.0%
Transport, postal and warehousing	-1.5%	-6.7%	-3.2%	-6.7%
Information media and telecommunications	-0.4%	-6.7%	0.9%	2.0%
Financial and insurance services	-1.8%	9.5%	-2.1%	4.0%
Rental, hiring and real estate services	-2.0%	0.9%	-4.1%	1.5%
Professional, scientific and technical services	-0.8%	6.7%	-1.2%	11.1%
Administrative and support services	-3.8%	3.4%	-5.9%	12.3%
Public administration and safety	-0.5%	10.8%	0.8%	10.7%
Education and training	1.0%	-3.5%	0.7%	0.7%
Health care and social assistance	-0.8%	7.1%	-1.7%	8.7%
Arts and recreation services	-5.9%	-8.8%	-6.1%	-6.6%
Other services	-3.0%	1.7%	-3.5%	8.7%
All industries	-2.0%	1.0%	-2.7%	2.5%

a. Some industries experience pronounced seasonality in either payroll jobs and wages or both. For more information, see Seasonality in Data limitations and revisions.
b. Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in estimates. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.

Graph 4 - Percentage change in payroll jobs by industry (a)
	Fortnight to 17 July 2021 (%)	Fortnight to 31 July 2021 (%)
Arts and recreation services	-2.8	-5.9
Accommodation and food services	-8.8	-5.8
Construction	-3.1	-4.0
Administrative and support services	-2.7	-3.8
Other services	-4.7	-3.0
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	-5.2	-2.9
Retail trade	-1.2	-2.7
Wholesale trade	0.3	-2.3
Rental, hiring and real estate services	-2.2	-2.0
Financial and insurance services	1.1	-1.8
Transport, postal and warehousing	0.2	-1.5
Manufacturing	1.0	-1.5
Mining	1.3	-1.2
Health care and social assistance	-1.3	-0.8
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	-0.7	-0.8
Professional, scientific and technical services	-0.4	-0.8
Public administration and safety	0.1	-0.5
Information media and telecommunications	-1.0	-0.4
Education and training	-4.1	1.0

Graph 4 - Percentage change in payroll jobs by industry (a)

["","Fortnight to 17 July 2021","Fortnight to 31 July 2021"]

[["Arts and recreation services","Accommodation and food services","Construction","Administrative and support services","Other services","Agriculture, forestry and fishing","Retail trade","Wholesale trade","Rental, hiring and real estate services","Financial and insurance services","Transport, postal and warehousing","Manufacturing","Mining","Health care and social assistance","Electricity, gas, water and waste services","Professional, scientific and technical services","Public administration and safety","Information media and telecommunications","Education and training"],[[-2.7999999999999998],[-8.8000000000000007],[-3.1000000000000001],[-2.7000000000000002],[-4.7000000000000002],[-5.2000000000000002],[-1.2],[0.29999999999999999],[-2.2000000000000002],[1.1000000000000001],[0.20000000000000001],[1],[1.3],[-1.3],[-0.69999999999999996],[-0.40000000000000002],[0.10000000000000001],[-1],[-4.0999999999999996]],[[-5.9000000000000004],[-5.7999999999999998],[-4],[-3.7999999999999998],[-3],[-2.8999999999999999],[-2.7000000000000002],[-2.2999999999999998],[-2],[-1.8],[-1.5],[-1.5],[-1.2],[-0.80000000000000004],[-0.80000000000000004],[-0.80000000000000004],[-0.5],[-0.40000000000000002],[1]]]

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Industries ranked by percentage change in the latest fortnight.

Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs

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.

Employment size

The latest weeks of payroll jobs by employment size estimates see higher than usual levels of revision (over a longer period) for businesses with under 20 employees, which have a greater pattern of delayed or less frequent reporting. Further information is presented in Variation in revisions in Data limitations and revisions.

Table 6 - Percentage change in payroll jobs by employment size (a)
	Change between 17 Jul 2021 and 31 Jul 2021 (b)	Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 31 Jul 2021 (c)
Under 20 employees	-4.0%	0.5%
20-199 employees	-2.2%	1.8%
200 employees and over	-0.8%	0.2%
All businesses	2.0%	1.0%

Records with 'unknown' employment size are only included in the calculation of All businesses indexes. For more information, see Data components, totals and index calculation in Data limitations and revisions.
Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in payroll jobs. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.
Caution should be used when comparing change across the ABS Business Register snapshot transition point (week ending 29 August 2020). For more information, see Update of employer characteristics in Methods review.

Graph 5 - Payroll jobs by employment size, indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020 (a)(b)
Week ending	All sizes (pts)	Under 20 employees (pts)	20-199 employees (pts)	200 employees and over (pts)
01-Aug-20	99.3	102.9	95.2	98.2
08-Aug-20	99.3	103.0	95.0	98.2
15-Aug-20	99.2	103.0	94.9	98.0
22-Aug-20	99.3	103.2	95.0	98.1
29-Aug-20	99.4	101.0	99.2	99.4
05-Sep-20	99.7	101.4	99.8	99.4
12-Sep-20	100.1	102.1	100.3	99.7
19-Sep-20	100.3	102.4	100.4	99.8
26-Sep-20	100.1	102.3	100.2	99.6
03-Oct-20	99.4	101.3	99.6	98.9
10-Oct-20	99.5	101.6	99.8	99.0
17-Oct-20	100.4	102.5	100.8	99.7
24-Oct-20	100.7	103.0	101.4	99.8
31-Oct-20	100.9	103.5	101.6	99.8
07-Nov-20	101.3	104.3	102.0	100.1
14-Nov-20	102.1	105.3	102.7	100.8
21-Nov-20	102.4	105.9	103.1	101.0
28-Nov-20	102.7	106.4	103.5	101.1
05-Dec-20	103.2	107.1	103.9	101.6
12-Dec-20	103.3	107.3	104.0	101.6
19-Dec-20	102.6	106.2	102.9	101.1
26-Dec-20	98.7	100.7	98.3	98.6
02-Jan-21	96.0	96.6	95.6	96.6
09-Jan-21	97.6	99.7	98.0	96.9
16-Jan-21	99.7	103.5	100.6	98.0
23-Jan-21	100.7	105.2	102.0	98.5
30-Jan-21	101.2	105.7	102.5	98.9
06-Feb-21	101.7	106.5	103.3	99.0
13-Feb-21	102.4	107.2	103.9	99.8
20-Feb-21	102.7	107.5	104.0	100.2
27-Feb-21	103.1	107.9	104.5	100.6
06-Mar-21	103.3	108.6	104.6	100.6
13-Mar-21	103.7	109.2	105.3	100.6
20-Mar-21	103.8	109.4	105.6	100.6
27-Mar-21	103.6	109.3	105.8	100.1
03-Apr-21	102.7	107.5	104.5	99.8
10-Apr-21	102.4	107.0	103.8	99.8
17-Apr-21	102.7	107.5	104.3	99.9
24-Apr-21	103.0	108.1	104.8	99.9
01-May-21	103.4	108.2	105.2	100.3
08-May-21	104.0	108.4	105.9	101.1
15-May-21	104.6	108.9	106.7	101.6
22-May-21	104.8	109.2	107.0	101.7
29-May-21	104.5	108.7	106.8	101.5
05-Jun-21	104.0	107.7	106.0	101.1
12-Jun-21	104.2	108.0	106.2	101.4
19-Jun-21	104.4	108.3	106.3	101.5
26-Jun-21	104.3	109.5	106.3	100.6
03-Jul-21	104.9	110.5	106.7	100.7
10-Jul-21	103.9	107.1	105.4	101.0
17-Jul-21	103.0	104.7	104.1	101.0
24-Jul-21	101.7	101.8	102.5	100.6
31-Jul-21	101.0	100.5	101.8	100.2

Graph 5 - Payroll jobs by employment size, indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020 (a)(b)

["Week ending","All sizes","Under 20 employees","20-199 employees","200 employees and over"]

[["01-Aug-20","08-Aug-20","15-Aug-20","22-Aug-20","29-Aug-20","05-Sep-20","12-Sep-20","19-Sep-20","26-Sep-20","03-Oct-20","10-Oct-20","17-Oct-20","24-Oct-20","31-Oct-20","07-Nov-20","14-Nov-20","21-Nov-20","28-Nov-20","05-Dec-20","12-Dec-20","19-Dec-20","26-Dec-20","02-Jan-21","09-Jan-21","16-Jan-21","23-Jan-21","30-Jan-21","06-Feb-21","13-Feb-21","20-Feb-21","27-Feb-21","06-Mar-21","13-Mar-21","20-Mar-21","27-Mar-21","03-Apr-21","10-Apr-21","17-Apr-21","24-Apr-21","01-May-21","08-May-21","15-May-21","22-May-21","29-May-21","05-Jun-21","12-Jun-21","19-Jun-21","26-Jun-21","03-Jul-21","10-Jul-21","17-Jul-21","24-Jul-21","31-Jul-21"],[[99.299999999999997],[99.299999999999997],[99.200000000000003],[99.299999999999997],[99.400000000000006],[99.700000000000003],[100.09999999999999],[100.3],[100.09999999999999],[99.400000000000006],[99.5],[100.40000000000001],[100.7],[100.90000000000001],[101.3],[102.09999999999999],[102.40000000000001],[102.7],[103.2],[103.3],[102.59999999999999],[98.700000000000003],[96],[97.599999999999994],[99.700000000000003],[100.7],[101.2],[101.7],[102.40000000000001],[102.7],[103.09999999999999],[103.3],[103.7],[103.8],[103.59999999999999],[102.7],[102.40000000000001],[102.7],[103],[103.40000000000001],[104],[104.59999999999999],[104.8],[104.5],[104],[104.2],[104.40000000000001],[104.3],[104.90000000000001],[103.90000000000001],[103],[101.7],[101]],[[102.90000000000001],[103],[103],[103.2],[101],[101.40000000000001],[102.09999999999999],[102.40000000000001],[102.3],[101.3],[101.59999999999999],[102.5],[103],[103.5],[104.3],[105.3],[105.90000000000001],[106.40000000000001],[107.09999999999999],[107.3],[106.2],[100.7],[96.599999999999994],[99.700000000000003],[103.5],[105.2],[105.7],[106.5],[107.2],[107.5],[107.90000000000001],[108.59999999999999],[109.2],[109.40000000000001],[109.3],[107.5],[107],[107.5],[108.09999999999999],[108.2],[108.40000000000001],[108.90000000000001],[109.2],[108.7],[107.7],[108],[108.3],[109.5],[110.5],[107.09999999999999],[104.7],[101.8],[100.5]],[[95.200000000000003],[95],[94.900000000000006],[95],[99.200000000000003],[99.799999999999997],[100.3],[100.40000000000001],[100.2],[99.599999999999994],[99.799999999999997],[100.8],[101.40000000000001],[101.59999999999999],[102],[102.7],[103.09999999999999],[103.5],[103.90000000000001],[104],[102.90000000000001],[98.299999999999997],[95.599999999999994],[98],[100.59999999999999],[102],[102.5],[103.3],[103.90000000000001],[104],[104.5],[104.59999999999999],[105.3],[105.59999999999999],[105.8],[104.5],[103.8],[104.3],[104.8],[105.2],[105.90000000000001],[106.7],[107],[106.8],[106],[106.2],[106.3],[106.3],[106.7],[105.40000000000001],[104.09999999999999],[102.5],[101.8]],[[98.200000000000003],[98.200000000000003],[98],[98.099999999999994],[99.400000000000006],[99.400000000000006],[99.700000000000003],[99.799999999999997],[99.599999999999994],[98.900000000000006],[99],[99.700000000000003],[99.799999999999997],[99.799999999999997],[100.09999999999999],[100.8],[101],[101.09999999999999],[101.59999999999999],[101.59999999999999],[101.09999999999999],[98.599999999999994],[96.599999999999994],[96.900000000000006],[98],[98.5],[98.900000000000006],[99],[99.799999999999997],[100.2],[100.59999999999999],[100.59999999999999],[100.59999999999999],[100.59999999999999],[100.09999999999999],[99.799999999999997],[99.799999999999997],[99.900000000000006],[99.900000000000006],[100.3],[101.09999999999999],[101.59999999999999],[101.7],[101.5],[101.09999999999999],[101.40000000000001],[101.5],[100.59999999999999],[100.7],[101],[101],[100.59999999999999],[100.2]]]

[]

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Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in payroll jobs. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.
The ABS Business Register snapshot transition point is in the week ending 29 August 2020. Caution should be used when comparing change across this point. For more information, see Update of employer characteristics in Methods review.

Data downloads

Table 4: Payroll jobs and wages indexes

Data files

Download xlsx [2.9 MB]

Table 5: Sub-state - Payroll jobs indexes

These estimates are now updated in every release.

Data files

Download xlsx [258.03 KB]

Table 5a: Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA) regions - Payroll jobs indexes

New estimates available since 22 July 2021.

Data files

Download xlsx [45.04 KB]

Table 6: Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs indexes

These estimates are now updated in every release.

Data files

Download xlsx [78.95 KB]

Table 7: Employer characteristics - Payroll jobs index

Contains estimates of payroll jobs by employment size, including state and territory dimension.

Data files

Download xlsx [50.16 KB]

Table 8: Jobholder characteristics - Payroll jobs index

Contains estimates of payroll jobs by 5 year age groups.

Data files

Download xlsx [55.96 KB]

All data cubes

Data files

Download zip [2.37 MB]

Changes in this release

The following sections were updated in this release:

Employment size: Employment size graph reinstated
Upcoming changes to this release: Updated text

The following section of the Methodology was updated in this release:

How data are collected: Text updates in Scope and coverage and Other data sources
How data are processed: New subsection - Updating characteristic variables. Text updates in Imputation.
Methods review: Section removed, with some text incorporated into other sections

Post-release changes

27 August 2021: Employment size - Table 6 figures corrected. The underlying data have not changed.

Upcoming changes to this release

Expansion of outputs

Payroll job outputs will be expanded over 2021-22. 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:

Employment size by industry division
Industry division by Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4)
Jobholder and employer characteristics distributions
Private sector by industry division
Private sector by state/territory
State by industry subdivision

Existing content changes

In the 9 September 2021 release, the following data download files will have modified structures:

Table 5a (GCCSA regions) added to Table 5 (Sub-state) as a separate tab
Table 7, additional characteristics column added (Industry)

Percentage change tables content will also be modified as follows:

Separated tables presenting payroll jobs and total wages
Time periods of change will be presented for the latest fortnight, month and year. Tables will not directly reference the percentage change from the index base (week ending 14 March 2020), but can be calculated from source data in Table 4 of the Data downloads.

Previously published articles and information of interest are linked below:

Distribution of jobholder and employer characteristics provides selected distributions to aid in interpreting estimates produced from STP data
A year of COVID-19 through payroll jobs and wages statistics reviews payroll jobs and wages in the year since Australia's 100th case of COVID-19
Year-end data variability provides some context on seasonality and seasonal variation
Secondary jobs provides insight into multiple jobholders
Incorporating JobKeeper supported payments into Weekly payroll jobs and wages in Australia describes how JobKeeper payments are included

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 6160.0.55.001.

Methodology

Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia methodology, Week ending 31 July 2021

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APA

Citation

Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia

APA

Citation

Key statistics

Wages estimates reinstated

Reduction in volatility in latest weeks of data

National

State and territory

Map 1 - State and territory percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 31 July 2021

Sub-state - payroll jobs

Map 2 - GCCSA regions percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 31 July 2021

Sex

Age group

5 year age groups

Industry

Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs

Employment size

Data downloads

Table 4: Payroll jobs and wages indexes

Table 5: Sub-state - Payroll jobs indexes

Table 5a: Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA) regions - Payroll jobs indexes

Table 6: Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs indexes

Table 7: Employer characteristics - Payroll jobs index

Table 8: Jobholder characteristics - Payroll jobs index

All data cubes

Changes in this release

Post-release changes

Upcoming changes to this release

Expansion of outputs

Existing content changes

Previous articles

Previous catalogue number

Methodology

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APA

Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia

APA

Key statistics

Wages estimates reinstated

Reduction in volatility in latest weeks of data

National

State and territory

Map 1 - State and territory percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 31 July 2021

Sub-state - payroll jobs

Map 2 - GCCSA regions percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 31 July 2021

Sex

Age group

5 year age groups

Industry

Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs

Employment size

Data downloads

Table 4: Payroll jobs and wages indexes

Table 5: Sub-state - Payroll jobs indexes

Table 5a: Greater Capital City Statistical Area (GCCSA) regions - Payroll jobs indexes

Table 6: Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs indexes

Table 7: Employer characteristics - Payroll jobs index

Table 8: Jobholder characteristics - Payroll jobs index

All data cubes

Changes in this release

Post-release changes

Upcoming changes to this release

Expansion of outputs

Existing content changes

Previous articles

Previous catalogue number

Methodology

Media releases

NSW payroll jobs fall 3.7% in the second half of July

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