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 11 September 2021

Released

7/10/2021

View all releases

Release date and time

07/10/2021 11:30am AEDT

Key statistics

Between the weeks ending 28 August and 11 September 2021:

Payroll jobs, down 0.7%
Total wages paid, up 1.8%

Update to imputation retention

The imputation retention threshold has been updated in this release from 8 pay periods to 16 weeks and applied across all historical data. The ABS recommends that analyses of previously published estimates be refreshed with the data from this release. For more information, see Update to imputation retention in Methods review.

New data download

From this release payroll jobs indexes by selected private sector industry presented are available in Table 9 of the Data downloads.

Interim updates between monthly releases

The next release of 'Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia, Interim' will be released on Thursday 21 October 2021. It will include updated national and state and territory payroll job estimates up to the week ending 25 September 2021.

National

In the fortnight to 11 September 2021:

Payroll jobs decreased by 0.7%, compared to a decrease of 1.5% in the previous fortnight
Total wages paid increased by 1.8%, compared to a decrease of 0.8% in the previous fortnight

Percentage change in payroll jobs and total wages
	In the fortnight since 28 August 2021	In the month since 14 August 2021	In the year since 12 September 2020
Payroll jobs	-0.7%	-2.1%	-0.6%
Total wages	1.8%	1.0%	3.5%

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.

Payroll jobs and total wages index (a)(b)
Week ending	Payroll jobs (pts)	Total wages (pts)
12-Sep-20	100.2	101.5
19-Sep-20	100.4	102.2
26-Sep-20	100.2	101.4
03-Oct-20	99.4	99.1
10-Oct-20	99.6	97.7
17-Oct-20	100.5	98.5
24-Oct-20	100.8	98.0
31-Oct-20	101.0	98.0
07-Nov-20	101.4	99.3
14-Nov-20	102.2	100.2
21-Nov-20	102.5	100.2
28-Nov-20	102.8	101.5
05-Dec-20	103.3	103.3
12-Dec-20	103.4	103.8
19-Dec-20	102.6	103.8
26-Dec-20	98.8	98.2
02-Jan-21	96.0	94.8
09-Jan-21	97.3	95.6
16-Jan-21	99.5	97.8
23-Jan-21	100.5	98.3
30-Jan-21	101.0	98.6
06-Feb-21	101.5	102.4
13-Feb-21	102.2	103.4
20-Feb-21	102.5	103.6
27-Feb-21	103.0	104.2
06-Mar-21	103.1	104.7
13-Mar-21	103.6	104.8
20-Mar-21	103.7	104.8
27-Mar-21	103.5	105.1
03-Apr-21	102.5	104.4
10-Apr-21	102.1	102.8
17-Apr-21	102.4	103.2
24-Apr-21	102.7	102.8
01-May-21	103.1	103.2
08-May-21	103.4	102.5
15-May-21	103.7	102.9
22-May-21	103.8	102.9
29-May-21	103.5	102.4
05-Jun-21	103.0	103.5
12-Jun-21	103.3	104.6
19-Jun-21	104.1	106.3
26-Jun-21	104.4	107.8
03-Jul-21	104.7	108.4
10-Jul-21	104.7	107.3
17-Jul-21	103.9	106.2
24-Jul-21	102.4	104.6
31-Jul-21	102.1	104.0
07-Aug-21	101.6	104.0
14-Aug-21	101.7	104.1
21-Aug-21	101.0	103.7
28-Aug-21	100.2	103.2
04-Sep-21	99.6	104.9
11-Sep-21	99.5	105.0

Payroll jobs and total wages index (a)(b)

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

[["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","07-Aug-21","14-Aug-21","21-Aug-21","28-Aug-21","04-Sep-21","11-Sep-21"],[[100.2],[100.4],[100.2],[99.4],[99.6],[100.5],[100.8],[101],[101.4],[102.2],[102.5],[102.8],[103.3],[103.4],[102.6],[98.8],[96],[97.3],[99.5],[100.5],[101],[101.5],[102.2],[102.5],[103],[103.1],[103.6],[103.7],[103.5],[102.5],[102.1],[102.4],[102.7],[103.1],[103.4],[103.7],[103.8],[103.5],[103],[103.3],[104.1],[104.4],[104.7],[104.7],[103.9],[102.4],[102.1],[101.6],[101.7],[101],[100.2],[99.6],[99.5]],[[101.5],[102.2],[101.4],[99.1],[97.7],[98.5],[98],[98],[99.3],[100.2],[100.2],[101.5],[103.3],[103.8],[103.8],[98.2],[94.8],[95.6],[97.8],[98.3],[98.6],[102.4],[103.4],[103.6],[104.2],[104.7],[104.8],[104.8],[105.1],[104.4],[102.8],[103.2],[102.8],[103.2],[102.5],[102.9],[102.9],[102.4],[103.5],[104.6],[106.3],[107.8],[108.4],[107.3],[106.2],[104.6],[104],[104],[104.1],[103.7],[103.2],[104.9],[105]]]

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Indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020.
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

Payroll jobs

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

In the fortnight to 11 September 2021, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:

Australian Capital Territory, down 2.3%
Victoria, down 1.8%

State and territory percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 11 September 2021

This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 11 September 2021, by the state and territory of the jobholder's residential address.

- New South Wales (-0.3%)
- Victoria (-1.8%)
- Queensland (-0.2%)
- South Australia (-0.2%)
- Western Australia (0.0%)
- Tasmania (-0.3%)
- Northern Territory (0.1%)
- Australian Capital Territory (-2.3%)

Percentage change in payroll jobs, by state and territory
	In the fortnight since 28 August 2021	In the month since 14 August 2021	In the year since 12 September 2020
New South Wales	-0.3%	-1.9%	-6.8%
Victoria	-1.8%	-5.2%	0.8%
Queensland	-0.2%	0.2%	3.0%
South Australia	-0.2%	0.0%	4.1%
Western Australia	0.0%	0.0%	5.1%
Tasmania	-0.3%	-0.6%	2.6%
Northern Territory	0.1%	-0.3%	6.7%
Australian Capital Territory	-2.3%	-10.5%	-9.1%
Australia	-0.7%	-2.1%	-0.6%

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

Payroll jobs index by selected geography(a)
Week ending	New South Wales (pts)	Victoria (pts)	Australian Capital Territory (pts)	Rest of Australia (pts)
12-Sep-20	101.7	96.4	100.9	101.5
19-Sep-20	101.9	96.5	101.0	101.6
26-Sep-20	101.8	96.4	100.7	101.3
03-Oct-20	100.8	95.8	100.4	100.6
10-Oct-20	100.7	96.3	100.5	100.9
17-Oct-20	101.7	97.1	101.4	101.6
24-Oct-20	102.0	97.5	101.8	101.9
31-Oct-20	102.0	98.3	101.3	101.9
07-Nov-20	102.3	99.0	101.3	102.3
14-Nov-20	102.9	100.0	101.7	103.0
21-Nov-20	103.5	100.5	102.0	103.1
28-Nov-20	103.6	101.2	102.1	103.3
05-Dec-20	103.8	101.9	102.5	103.9
12-Dec-20	103.8	102.2	102.3	104.0
19-Dec-20	103.1	101.7	101.9	103.0
26-Dec-20	99.5	97.9	98.1	98.9
02-Jan-21	96.4	95.4	95.1	96.1
09-Jan-21	97.8	96.2	96.2	97.8
16-Jan-21	100.0	98.2	98.5	100.0
23-Jan-21	101.0	99.3	99.7	101.0
30-Jan-21	101.5	99.9	100.2	101.4
06-Feb-21	102.1	100.8	100.9	101.7
13-Feb-21	102.8	101.2	101.6	102.5
20-Feb-21	102.9	101.6	101.9	102.9
27-Feb-21	103.2	102.2	102.4	103.3
06-Mar-21	103.5	102.3	102.4	103.5
13-Mar-21	103.9	102.8	102.7	103.8
20-Mar-21	103.9	103.0	102.6	104.0
27-Mar-21	103.8	102.7	102.6	103.8
03-Apr-21	102.9	101.7	101.7	102.8
10-Apr-21	102.2	101.4	101.5	102.6
17-Apr-21	102.6	101.4	101.7	103.0
24-Apr-21	102.9	102.0	101.9	103.1
01-May-21	103.2	102.5	102.3	103.4
08-May-21	103.4	102.9	102.6	103.9
15-May-21	103.6	103.1	102.5	104.2
22-May-21	103.8	103.2	102.7	104.3
29-May-21	103.8	102.1	102.3	104.3
05-Jun-21	103.7	100.5	102.2	104.1
12-Jun-21	103.9	101.0	102.6	104.4
19-Jun-21	104.4	102.2	103.0	105.0
26-Jun-21	104.4	103.3	103.2	105.3
03-Jul-21	104.2	104.1	104.2	105.5
10-Jul-21	102.9	104.6	104.5	106.1
17-Jul-21	101.4	103.8	103.9	105.9
24-Jul-21	99.2	102.0	103.4	105.3
31-Jul-21	97.6	102.8	103.2	105.2
07-Aug-21	96.9	102.9	102.7	104.4
14-Aug-21	96.6	102.4	102.6	105.3
21-Aug-21	95.8	100.5	98.4	105.7
28-Aug-21	95.0	98.9	94.0	105.5
04-Sep-21	94.7	97.3	92.3	105.4
11-Sep-21	94.8	97.1	91.8	105.3

Payroll jobs index by selected geography(a)

["Week ending","New South Wales","Victoria","Australian Capital Territory","Rest of Australia"]

[["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","07-Aug-21","14-Aug-21","21-Aug-21","28-Aug-21","04-Sep-21","11-Sep-21"],[[101.7],[101.9],[101.8],[100.8],[100.7],[101.7],[102],[102],[102.3],[102.9],[103.5],[103.6],[103.8],[103.8],[103.1],[99.5],[96.4],[97.8],[100],[101],[101.5],[102.1],[102.8],[102.9],[103.2],[103.5],[103.9],[103.9],[103.8],[102.9],[102.2],[102.6],[102.9],[103.2],[103.4],[103.6],[103.8],[103.8],[103.7],[103.9],[104.4],[104.4],[104.2],[102.9],[101.4],[99.2],[97.6],[96.9],[96.6],[95.8],[95],[94.7],[94.8]],[[96.4],[96.5],[96.4],[95.8],[96.3],[97.1],[97.5],[98.3],[99],[100],[100.5],[101.2],[101.9],[102.2],[101.7],[97.9],[95.4],[96.2],[98.2],[99.3],[99.9],[100.8],[101.2],[101.6],[102.2],[102.3],[102.8],[103],[102.7],[101.7],[101.4],[101.4],[102],[102.5],[102.9],[103.1],[103.2],[102.1],[100.5],[101],[102.2],[103.3],[104.1],[104.6],[103.8],[102],[102.8],[102.9],[102.4],[100.5],[98.9],[97.3],[97.1]],[[100.9],[101],[100.7],[100.4],[100.5],[101.4],[101.8],[101.3],[101.3],[101.7],[102],[102.1],[102.5],[102.3],[101.9],[98.1],[95.1],[96.2],[98.5],[99.7],[100.2],[100.9],[101.6],[101.9],[102.4],[102.4],[102.7],[102.6],[102.6],[101.7],[101.5],[101.7],[101.9],[102.3],[102.6],[102.5],[102.7],[102.3],[102.2],[102.6],[103],[103.2],[104.2],[104.5],[103.9],[103.4],[103.2],[102.7],[102.6],[98.4],[94],[92.3],[91.8]],[[101.5],[101.6],[101.3],[100.6],[100.9],[101.6],[101.9],[101.9],[102.3],[103],[103.1],[103.3],[103.9],[104],[103],[98.9],[96.1],[97.8],[100],[101],[101.4],[101.7],[102.5],[102.9],[103.3],[103.5],[103.8],[104],[103.8],[102.8],[102.6],[103],[103.1],[103.4],[103.9],[104.2],[104.3],[104.3],[104.1],[104.4],[105],[105.3],[105.5],[106.1],[105.9],[105.3],[105.2],[104.4],[105.3],[105.7],[105.5],[105.4],[105.3]]]

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Indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020.

Total wages

In the fortnight to 11 September 2021, the largest changes in total wages paid were:

Western Australia, up 3.0%
New South Wales, up 1.9%

Percentage change in total wages, by state and territory
	In the fortnight since 28 August 2021	In the month since 14 August 2021	In the year since 12 September 2020
New South Wales	1.9%	1.2%	-0.1%
Victoria	1.1%	-0.9%	5.8%
Queensland	1.7%	2.2%	5.1%
South Australia	1.8%	1.7%	5.8%
Western Australia	3.0%	2.9%	4.8%
Tasmania	1.5%	1.3%	5.4%
Northern Territory	1.5%	0.2%	9.2%
Australian Capital Territory	0.4%	-5.1%	-1.8%
Australia	1.8%	1.0%	3.5%

Sub-state - payroll jobs

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.

GCCSA regions percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 11 September 2021

This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 11 September 2021, by the GCCSA region of the jobholder's residential address.
- Greater Sydney (-0.4%)
- Rest of New South Wales (-0.1%)
- Greater Melbourne (-2.1%)
- Rest of Victoria (-1.1%)
- Greater Brisbane (-0.4%)
- Rest of Queensland (-0.3%)
- Greater Adelaide (-0.3%)
- Rest of South Australia (0.1%)
- Greater Perth (-0.2%)
- Rest of Western Australia (0.0%)
- Greater Hobart (-0.4%)
- Rest of Tasmania (-0.4%)
- Greater Darwin (0.2%)
- Rest of Northern Territory (-0.8%)
- Australian Capital Territory (-2.3%)

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

Sex and Age group

Payroll jobs

In the fortnight to 11 September 2021, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:

worked by females, down 0.8%
worked by persons aged 15-19, down 1.6%

Percentage change in payroll jobs, by sex and age group (a)
		In the fortnight since 28 August 2021	In the month since 14 August 2021	In the year since 12 September 2020
Sex	Males	-0.7%	-1.8%	-2.5%
Sex	Females	-0.8%	-2.6%	-1.9%
Age groups (years)	15-19	-1.6%	-5.1%	-1.6%
	20-29	-0.9%	-3.4%	-2.2%
	30-39	-0.6%	-1.7%	-0.1%
	40-49	-0.7%	-1.5%	-0.6%
	50-59	-0.5%	-1.4%	-0.1%
	60-69	0.0%	-1.2%	1.2%
	70 and over	-0.1%	-1.6%	-0.7%
All persons		-0.7%	-2.1%	-0.6%

a. Persons with 'unknown' sex and age 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.

Payroll jobs by sex(a)
Week ending	Males (pts)	Females (pts)
12-Sep-20	100.3	99.7
19-Sep-20	100.4	99.8
26-Sep-20	100.2	99.6
03-Oct-20	99.6	98.6
10-Oct-20	99.8	98.8
17-Oct-20	100.4	99.8
24-Oct-20	100.5	100.3
31-Oct-20	100.5	100.6
07-Nov-20	100.8	101.0
14-Nov-20	101.6	101.7
21-Nov-20	101.8	102.2
28-Nov-20	101.9	102.5
05-Dec-20	102.3	103.0
12-Dec-20	102.4	102.9
19-Dec-20	101.5	102.2
26-Dec-20	97.5	98.6
02-Jan-21	94.8	95.7
09-Jan-21	96.5	96.5
16-Jan-21	98.9	98.4
23-Jan-21	99.9	99.3
30-Jan-21	100.3	99.9
06-Feb-21	100.7	100.4
13-Feb-21	101.3	101.2
20-Feb-21	101.4	101.6
27-Feb-21	101.7	102.1
06-Mar-21	101.7	102.3
13-Mar-21	102.1	102.7
20-Mar-21	102.1	102.8
27-Mar-21	101.9	102.6
03-Apr-21	101.0	101.6
10-Apr-21	100.7	101.1
17-Apr-21	101.1	101.1
24-Apr-21	101.2	101.6
01-May-21	101.3	102.0
08-May-21	101.6	102.4
15-May-21	101.8	102.6
22-May-21	101.8	102.8
29-May-21	101.6	102.5
05-Jun-21	101.0	101.9
12-Jun-21	101.2	102.2
19-Jun-21	101.7	103.1
26-Jun-21	101.9	103.7
03-Jul-21	102.2	103.8
10-Jul-21	102.7	103.2
17-Jul-21	101.9	102.4
24-Jul-21	100.5	101.0
31-Jul-21	99.9	100.9
07-Aug-21	99.5	100.3
14-Aug-21	99.6	100.4
21-Aug-21	99.1	99.5
28-Aug-21	98.5	98.6
04-Sep-21	98.0	97.8
11-Sep-21	97.8	97.8

Payroll jobs by sex(a)

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

[["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","07-Aug-21","14-Aug-21","21-Aug-21","28-Aug-21","04-Sep-21","11-Sep-21"],[[100.3],[100.4],[100.2],[99.6],[99.8],[100.4],[100.5],[100.5],[100.8],[101.6],[101.8],[101.9],[102.3],[102.4],[101.5],[97.5],[94.8],[96.5],[98.9],[99.9],[100.3],[100.7],[101.3],[101.4],[101.7],[101.7],[102.1],[102.1],[101.9],[101],[100.7],[101.1],[101.2],[101.3],[101.6],[101.8],[101.8],[101.6],[101],[101.2],[101.7],[101.9],[102.2],[102.7],[101.9],[100.5],[99.9],[99.5],[99.6],[99.1],[98.5],[98],[97.8]],[[99.7],[99.8],[99.6],[98.6],[98.8],[99.8],[100.3],[100.6],[101],[101.7],[102.2],[102.5],[103],[102.9],[102.2],[98.6],[95.7],[96.5],[98.4],[99.3],[99.9],[100.4],[101.2],[101.6],[102.1],[102.3],[102.7],[102.8],[102.6],[101.6],[101.1],[101.1],[101.6],[102],[102.4],[102.6],[102.8],[102.5],[101.9],[102.2],[103.1],[103.7],[103.8],[103.2],[102.4],[101],[100.9],[100.3],[100.4],[99.5],[98.6],[97.8],[97.8]]]

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Indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020.

Total wages

In the fortnight to 11 September 2021, the largest changes in total wages paid were:

payments to males, up 2.0%
payments to persons aged 40-49, up 2.5%

Percentage change in total wages, by sex and age group (a)
		In the fortnight since 28 August 2021	In the month since 14 August 2021	In the year since 12 September 2020
Sex	Males	2.0%	1.1%	3.0%
Sex	Females	1.4%	0.6%	2.9%
Age groups (years)	15-19	-1.0%	1.1%	-5.8%
	20-29	0.2%	-1.0%	1.6%
	30-39	2.1%	1.3%	4.5%
	40-49	2.5%	1.9%	3.5%
	50-59	2.0%	1.2%	3.9%
	60-69	1.4%	-0.1%	4.7%
	70 and over	1.1%	-0.8%	0.4%
All persons		1.8%	1.0%	3.5%

Industry

Payroll jobs

In the fortnight to 11 September 2021, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:

Arts and recreation services, down 7.4%
Agriculture, forestry and fishing, down 2.2%

Percentage change in payroll jobs, by industry
	In the fortnight since 28 August 2021	In the month since 14 August 2021	In the year since 12 September 2020
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	-2.2%	-2.7%	-3.7%
Mining	-1.1%	-0.6%	1.6%
Manufacturing	-1.1%	-2.3%	-2.9%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	-0.3%	-0.7%	0.3%
Construction	0.5%	-0.4%	-3.4%
Wholesale trade	-1.0%	-2.1%	-2.9%
Retail trade	-0.1%	-4.0%	-5.4%
Accommodation and food services	-2.0%	-10.3%	-18.0%
Transport, postal and warehousing	-1.2%	-1.7%	-6.4%
Information media and telecommunications	-1.1%	-2.8%	-5.6%
Financial and insurance services	0.1%	0.8%	6.0%
Rental, hiring and real estate services	-1.8%	-2.3%	-1.1%
Professional, scientific and technical services	-0.8%	-1.2%	3.0%
Administrative and support services	-0.7%	-2.4%	2.1%
Public administration and safety	-0.3%	-0.2%	6.2%
Education and training	-0.3%	-0.4%	-0.4%
Health care and social assistance	-0.3%	-0.2%	4.2%
Arts and recreation services	-7.4%	-13.2%	-17.0%
Other services	-1.0%	-5.3%	-5.9%
All industries	-0.7%	-2.1%	-0.6%

Percentage change in payroll jobs by industry(a)
	Fortnight to 28 August 2021 (%)	Fortnight to 11 September 2021 (%)
Arts and recreation services	-6.3	-7.4
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	-0.5	-2.2
Accommodation and food services	-8.4	-2.0
Rental, hiring and real estate services	-0.5	-1.8
Transport, postal and warehousing	-0.5	-1.2
Mining	0.5	-1.1
Manufacturing	-1.2	-1.1
Information media and telecommunications	-1.8	-1.1
Wholesale trade	-1.1	-1.0
Other services	-4.3	-1.0
Professional, scientific and technical services	-0.4	-0.8
Administrative and support services	-1.8	-0.7
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	-0.4	-0.3
Public administration and safety	0.1	-0.3
Education and training	-0.1	-0.3
Health care and social assistance	0.2	-0.3
Retail trade	-3.9	-0.1
Financial and insurance services	0.7	0.1
Construction	-0.9	0.5

Percentage change in payroll jobs by industry(a)

["","Fortnight to 28 August 2021","Fortnight to 11 September 2021"]

[["Arts and recreation services","Agriculture, forestry and fishing","Accommodation and food services","Rental, hiring and real estate services","Transport, postal and warehousing","Mining","Manufacturing","Information media and telecommunications","Wholesale trade","Other services","Professional, scientific and technical services","Administrative and support services","Electricity, gas, water and waste services","Public administration and safety","Education and training","Health care and social assistance","Retail trade","Financial and insurance services","Construction"],[[-6.3],[-0.5],[-8.4],[-0.5],[-0.5],[0.5],[-1.2],[-1.8],[-1.1],[-4.3],[-0.4],[-1.8],[-0.4],[0.1],[-0.1],[0.2],[-3.9],[0.7],[-0.9]],[[-7.4],[-2.2],[-2],[-1.8],[-1.2],[-1.1],[-1.1],[-1.1],[-1],[-1],[-0.8],[-0.7],[-0.3],[-0.3],[-0.3],[-0.3],[-0.1],[0.1],[0.5]]]

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Industries ranked by percentage change in the latest fortnight.

Total wages

In the fortnight to 11 September 2021, the largest changes in total wages paid were:

Mining, up 15.6%
Retail trade, up 7.9%

Percentage change in total wages, by industry(a)
	In the fortnight since 28 Aug 2021	In the month since 14 Aug 2021	In the year since 12 Sep 2020
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	-1.4%	-1.4%	2.3%
Mining	15.6%	15.4%	-7.1%
Manufacturing	1.8%	0.9%	2.1%
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	7.1%	7.7%	1.3%
Construction	2.5%	0.2%	1.2%
Wholesale trade	-0.8%	-2.3%	2.2%
Retail trade	7.9%	2.7%	-0.8%
Accommodation and food services	-2.2%	-8.2%	-25.1%
Transport, postal and warehousing	5.2%	4.6%	3.7%
Information media and telecommunications	5.5%	6.7%	0.0%
Financial and insurance services	5.2%	7.7%	8.2%
Rental, hiring and real estate services	-2.5%	0.1%	0.8%
Professional, scientific and technical services	0.1%	-0.1%	10.9%
Administrative and support services	-1.3%	-4.0%	9.8%
Public administration and safety	-0.5%	-0.4%	8.6%
Education and training	0.3%	0.2%	0.2%
Health care and social assistance	-0.2%	0.3%	4.6%
Arts and recreation services	-6.2%	-8.2%	-14.2%
Other services	0.0%	-3.2%	-2.2%
All industries	1.8%	1.0%	3.5%

Some industries experience pronounced seasonality in either payroll jobs and wages or both. For more information, see Seasonality in Data limitations and revisions.

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.

Private sector industry - Payroll jobs

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.

Employment size

Recent movements in payroll jobs by employment size are subject to higher than usual levels of revision (over a longer period) than other estimates. This is particularly the case for estimates around the end of the financial year in 2021.

Additional reporting from small employers (under 20 employees) is expected to flow through from early July, due to the conclusion of STP reporting concessions. This will result in additional volatility and revisions for this employer group until regular reporting patterns are established.

Further information on historical revisions to the small employers index are found in Variation in revisions in Data limitations and revisions.

Percentage change in payroll jobs by employment size(a)(b)
	In the fortnight since 28 August 2021	In the month since 14 August 2021	In the year since 12 September 2020
Under 20 employees	-2.5%	-5.2%	-5.0%
20-199 employees	-1.1%	-2.8%	-1.4%
200 employees and over	0.4%	-0.3%	0.2%
All businesses	-0.7%	-2.1%	-0.6%

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, particularly for small employers. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.

Payroll jobs by employment size index (a)(b)
Week ending	All sizes (pts)	Under 20 employees (pts)	20-199 employees (pts)	200 employees and over (pts)
12-Sep-20	100.2	102.3	100.3	99.7
19-Sep-20	100.4	102.5	100.4	99.9
26-Sep-20	100.2	102.4	100.2	99.6
03-Oct-20	99.4	101.5	99.6	98.9
10-Oct-20	99.6	101.8	99.8	99
17-Oct-20	100.5	102.7	100.8	99.7
24-Oct-20	100.8	103.3	101.4	99.8
31-Oct-20	101	103.7	101.6	99.8
07-Nov-20	101.4	104.6	102	100.1
14-Nov-20	102.2	105.5	102.8	100.8
21-Nov-20	102.5	106.1	103.1	101
28-Nov-20	102.8	106.7	103.5	101.1
05-Dec-20	103.3	107.4	103.9	101.6
12-Dec-20	103.4	107.6	104.1	101.6
19-Dec-20	102.6	106.5	102.9	101.2
26-Dec-20	98.8	101	98.3	98.5
02-Jan-21	96	96.6	95.5	96.5
09-Jan-21	97.3	99.4	97.7	96.7
16-Jan-21	99.5	103.2	100.3	97.8
23-Jan-21	100.5	104.9	101.7	98.3
30-Jan-21	101	105.5	102.3	98.8
06-Feb-21	101.5	106.5	103.1	98.8
13-Feb-21	102.2	107.1	103.7	99.6
20-Feb-21	102.5	107.5	103.8	100
27-Feb-21	103	107.9	104.3	100.4
06-Mar-21	103.1	108.5	104.3	100.4
13-Mar-21	103.6	109.2	105.1	100.5
20-Mar-21	103.7	109.3	105.4	100.4
27-Mar-21	103.5	109.3	105.6	100
03-Apr-21	102.5	107.3	104.3	99.7
10-Apr-21	102.1	106.6	103.6	99.6
17-Apr-21	102.4	107.1	104	99.6
24-Apr-21	102.7	107.7	104.5	99.6
01-May-21	103.1	107.8	104.8	100
08-May-21	103.4	108	105.2	100.5
15-May-21	103.7	108.2	105.5	100.6
22-May-21	103.8	108.5	105.8	100.6
29-May-21	103.5	108	105.5	100.4
05-Jun-21	103	107	104.7	100.2
12-Jun-21	103.3	107.4	104.9	100.4
19-Jun-21	104.1	108.6	105.9	100.8
26-Jun-21	104.4	110.7	106.4	100.1
03-Jul-21	104.7	111.5	106.2	100
10-Jul-21	104.7	110.1	105.6	100.7
17-Jul-21	103.9	108.2	104.4	100.5
24-Jul-21	102.4	105.3	102.6	100
31-Jul-21	102.1	104.8	102.3	99.6
07-Aug-21	101.6	103	101.8	99.7
14-Aug-21	101.7	102.5	101.8	100.2
21-Aug-21	101	101	100.8	100.1
28-Aug-21	100.2	99.6	100	99.5
04-Sep-21	99.6	98.2	99.2	99.4
11-Sep-21	99.5	97.1	98.9	99.9

Payroll jobs by employment size index (a)(b)

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

[["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","07-Aug-21","14-Aug-21","21-Aug-21","28-Aug-21","04-Sep-21","11-Sep-21"],[[100.2],[100.4],[100.2],[99.4],[99.6],[100.5],[100.8],[101],[101.4],[102.2],[102.5],[102.8],[103.3],[103.4],[102.6],[98.8],[96],[97.3],[99.5],[100.5],[101],[101.5],[102.2],[102.5],[103],[103.1],[103.6],[103.7],[103.5],[102.5],[102.1],[102.4],[102.7],[103.1],[103.4],[103.7],[103.8],[103.5],[103],[103.3],[104.1],[104.4],[104.7],[104.7],[103.9],[102.4],[102.1],[101.6],[101.7],[101],[100.2],[99.6],[99.5]],[[102.3],[102.5],[102.4],[101.5],[101.8],[102.7],[103.3],[103.7],[104.6],[105.5],[106.1],[106.7],[107.4],[107.6],[106.5],[101],[96.6],[99.4],[103.2],[104.9],[105.5],[106.5],[107.1],[107.5],[107.9],[108.5],[109.2],[109.3],[109.3],[107.3],[106.6],[107.1],[107.7],[107.8],[108],[108.2],[108.5],[108],[107],[107.4],[108.6],[110.7],[111.5],[110.1],[108.2],[105.3],[104.8],[103],[102.5],[101],[99.6],[98.2],[97.1]],[[100.3],[100.4],[100.2],[99.6],[99.8],[100.8],[101.4],[101.6],[102],[102.8],[103.1],[103.5],[103.9],[104.1],[102.9],[98.3],[95.5],[97.7],[100.3],[101.7],[102.3],[103.1],[103.7],[103.8],[104.3],[104.3],[105.1],[105.4],[105.6],[104.3],[103.6],[104],[104.5],[104.8],[105.2],[105.5],[105.8],[105.5],[104.7],[104.9],[105.9],[106.4],[106.2],[105.6],[104.4],[102.6],[102.3],[101.8],[101.8],[100.8],[100],[99.2],[98.9]],[[99.7],[99.9],[99.6],[98.9],[99],[99.7],[99.8],[99.8],[100.1],[100.8],[101],[101.1],[101.6],[101.6],[101.2],[98.5],[96.5],[96.7],[97.8],[98.3],[98.8],[98.8],[99.6],[100],[100.4],[100.4],[100.5],[100.4],[100],[99.7],[99.6],[99.6],[99.6],[100],[100.5],[100.6],[100.6],[100.4],[100.2],[100.4],[100.8],[100.1],[100],[100.7],[100.5],[100],[99.6],[99.7],[100.2],[100.1],[99.5],[99.4],[99.9]]]

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Indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020.
Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in payroll jobs, particularly for small employers. For more information, see Data limitations and revisions.

Distribution of characteristics

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:

almost no payroll jobs have an unknown state or territory,
less than 0.5% of payroll jobs have an unknown age,
less than 1% of payroll jobs have an unknown industry, and
less than 2% of payroll jobs have unknown sex.

For more information on unknowns see Updating characteristic variables in How data are processed.

Table 20: Payroll jobs - characteristics distributions

Contains selected distributions of jobholder and employer characteristics, available in this release since 9 September 2021.

Data files

Download xlsx [143.64 KB]

Data downloads

Table 4: Payroll jobs and wages indexes

Data files

Download xlsx [3 MB]

Table 5: Sub-state - Payroll jobs indexes

Data files

Download xlsx [278.49 KB]

Table 6: Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs indexes

Data files

Download xlsx [81.83 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 [50.68 KB]

Table 8: Jobholder characteristics - Payroll jobs index

Contains estimates of payroll jobs by 5 year age groups.

Data files

Download xlsx [56.49 KB]

Table 9: Sector - Payroll jobs index

Contains estimates of payroll jobs by private sector for selected industry divisions, available in this release since 7 October 2021.

Data files

Download xlsx [47.19 KB]

All data cubes

Data files

Download zip [2.29 MB]

Changes in this release

The following section was updated in this release:

New data download: Payroll jobs indexes by selected private sector industry in Table 9 of the Data downloads

The following sections of the Methodology were updated in this release:

How data are processed: Updating characteristic variables, updated to reflect addition of sector variable
Methods review: Section added to incorporate method change in Update to imputation retention

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 state/territory
State by industry subdivision

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 11 September 2021

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APA

Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia

APA

Key statistics

Update to imputation retention

New data download

Interim updates between monthly releases

National

State and territory

Payroll jobs

State and territory percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 11 September 2021

Total wages

Sub-state - payroll jobs

GCCSA regions percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 11 September 2021

Sex and Age group

Payroll jobs

Total wages

Industry

Payroll jobs

Total wages

Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs

Private sector industry - Payroll jobs

Employment size

Distribution of characteristics

Table 20: Payroll jobs - characteristics distributions

Data downloads

Table 4: Payroll jobs and wages indexes

Table 5: Sub-state - Payroll jobs indexes

Table 6: Industry subdivision - Payroll jobs indexes

Table 7: Employer characteristics - Payroll jobs index

Table 8: Jobholder characteristics - Payroll jobs index

Table 9: Sector - Payroll jobs index

All data cubes

Changes in this release

Upcoming changes to this release

Expansion of outputs

Previous articles

Previous catalogue number

Methodology

Media releases

Payroll jobs back below pre-pandemic level

Do you need more detailed statistics?

Request data

Microdata and TableBuilder