Payroll jobs and wages estimates, sourced from Single Touch Payroll (STP) data
Between the weeks ending 13 and 27 March 2021, payroll jobs increased 0.1%. The largest changes were in:
Total wages decreased by 0.4%. The largest changes were in:
Jobholder age, sex and geography (including sub-state region) have been updated in this release, resulting in revisions across the time series. For more information, see the Update of jobholder characteristics section of Methods review.
The ABS recommends that analyses of previously published estimates be refreshed with the data from this release.
Between the weeks ending 14 March 2020 and 27 March 2021:
Between the weeks ending 13 and 27 March 2021:
Since the week ending 14 March 2020 the largest changes across states and territories were:
Payroll jobs:
Total wages:
Between the weeks ending 13 and 27 March 2021 the largest changes were:
Payroll jobs:
Total wages:
| Payroll jobs | Total wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change between 13 Mar 2021 and 27 Mar 2021 (a) | Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 27 Mar 2021 | Change between 13 Mar 2021 and 27 Mar 2021 (a) | Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 27 Mar 2021 | |
| New South Wales | -0.1% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Victoria | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 3.6% |
| Queensland | 0.3% | 0.5% | -1.2% | 1.4% |
| South Australia | 0.2% | 2.7% | 0.1% | 4.2% |
| Western Australia | 0.2% | 3.2% | -1.6% | 2.0% |
| Tasmania | 0.0% | 0.3% | -0.3% | 1.5% |
| Northern Territory | 0.0% | 3.0% | -2.1% | 2.3% |
| Australian Capital Territory | -0.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 1.9% |
| Australia | 0.1% | 1.0% | -0.4% | 2.1% |
a. Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in payroll jobs and wages. For more information, please see Data limitations and revisions. Weekly change data are available in Data downloads.
Updated estimates of payroll jobs by sub-state regions were added to this release on Wednesday 14 April 2021.
Time series estimates of payroll jobs by sub-state regions, Statistical Area 4 (SA4) and Statistical Area 3 (SA3), are presented as index values through to the week ending 27 March 2021 in Table 5 of the Data downloads. These estimates are only updated in alternate releases.
The interactive maps were updated to the week ending 27 March 2021, as part of this release on Friday 16 April 2021.
The interactive maps will not be updated after this release, while the ABS reviews the best presentation of geospatial data associated with this release.
The source data for the interactive maps will continue to be available in Table 5 of the Data downloads.
Interactive maps of SA4 and SA3 regions present change in payroll jobs from the week ending 14 March 2020 for each week up to the week ending 27 March 2021. This release contains the last update of the interactive maps.
Percentage change values can differ between sub-state and state and territory regions. State and territory totals include records with 'unknown' sub-state characteristics. The differences may increase in size in finer levels of data. For more information, see the Data components, totals and index calculation section of Data limitations and revisions.
SA4 and SA3 boundaries presented accord with the Australian Statistical Geography Standard, Volume 1 - Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, July 2016.
Since the week ending 14 March 2020:
Payroll jobs:
Total wages:
Between the weeks ending 13 and 27 March 2021:
Payroll jobs:
Total wages:
| Payroll jobs | Total wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change between 13 Mar 2021 and 27 Mar 2021 (a) | Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 27 Mar 2021 | Change between 13 Mar 2021 and 27 Mar 2021 (a) | Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 27 Mar 2021 | |
| Males | -0.1% | -1.0% | -0.9% | -0.1% |
| Females | 0.2% | 0.8% | 0.2% | 4.7% |
| All persons (b) | 0.1% | 1.0% | -0.4% | 2.1% |
a. Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in payroll jobs and wages. For more information, please see Data limitations and revisions. Weekly change data are available in the Data downloads.
b. Indexes for males and females can move independently from All persons indexes due to the inclusion of persons with 'unknown' sex in the calculation of the All persons index. For more information see the Data components, total and index calculation section in Data limitations and revisions.
Since the week ending 14 March 2020 the largest changes across age groups were:
Payroll jobs:
Total wages:
Between the weeks ending 13 and 27 March 2021 the largest changes across age groups were:
Payroll jobs:
Total wages:
| Payroll jobs | Total wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change between 13 Mar 2021 and 27 Mar 2021 (a) | Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 27 Mar 2021 | Change between 13 Mar 2021 and 27 Mar 2021 (a) | Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 27 Mar 2021 | |
| 15-19 year olds | 2.3% | 0.6% | 1.1% | 3.7% |
| 20-29 year olds | -0.1% | -0.9% | -0.3% | 1.7% |
| 30-39 year olds | -0.1% | 1.1% | -0.6% | 2.0% |
| 40-49 year olds | 0.0% | 0.5% | -0.4% | 0.9% |
| 50-59 year olds | 0.1% | 1.6% | -0.5% | 2.2% |
| 60-69 year olds | 0.1% | 5.0% | -0.9% | 6.5% |
| Aged 70 years and over | 0.5% | 6.0% | -0.5% | 9.5% |
| All persons | 0.1% | 1.0% | -0.4% | 2.1% |
a. Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in payroll jobs and wages. For more information, please see Data limitations and revisions. Weekly change data are available in Data downloads.
Time series estimates of payroll jobs by 5 year age groups (presented as index values) up to the week ending 27 March 2021 are available in Table 8 of the Data downloads.
Since the week ending 14 March 2020 the largest changes across industry were:
Payroll jobs:
Total wages:
Between the weeks ending 13 and 27 March 2021 the largest changes across industry were:
Payroll jobs:
Total wages:
| Payroll jobs | Total wages | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Change between 13 Mar 2021 and 27 Mar 2021 (a) | Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 27 Mar 2021 | Change between 13 Mar 2021 and 27 Mar 2021 (a) | Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 27 Mar 2021 | |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | -1.4% | -4.1% | -2.1% | 0.0% |
| Mining (b) | 0.0% | -0.5% | -5.9% | -9.4% |
| Manufacturing | 0.2% | -2.7% | 1.0% | 0.5% |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | -0.2% | 2.2% | -2.6% | -0.4% |
| Construction | -0.6% | -3.5% | -0.9% | -3.4% |
| Wholesale trade | -0.4% | -2.8% | -0.6% | -1.4% |
| Retail trade | 0.4% | -1.6% | -1.8% | -1.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 1.7% | -9.5% | -0.1% | -7.7% |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | -0.2% | -6.4% | -1.1% | -8.0% |
| Information media and telecommunications | -1.5% | -9.3% | -0.4% | -3.2% |
| Financial and insurance services | 0.2% | 6.8% | 3.8% | 6.0% |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | -0.2% | -1.9% | -2.3% | 1.8% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | -0.7% | -1.0% | -0.6% | 1.3% |
| Administrative and support services | 0.4% | 3.0% | 0.0% | 5.7% |
| Public administration and safety | 1.1% | 11.0% | 0.6% | 7.1% |
| Education and training | 0.8% | -1.3% | -0.6% | 0.9% |
| Health care and social assistance | 0.0% | 3.4% | -0.2% | 6.4% |
| Arts and recreation services | 0.5% | 0.8% | -0.5% | -0.7% |
| Other services | -0.6% | -1.3% | -0.4% | 4.2% |
| All industries | 0.1% | 1.0% | -0.4% | 2.1% |
a. Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in payroll jobs and wages. Weekly change data are available in Data downloads.
b. The Mining industry wages estimates in March and September may include annual bonuses. Please refer to the seasonality section in Data limitations and revisions for further information.
Time series estimates of payroll jobs by industry subdivision (presented as index values) up to the week ending 13 March 2021 are available in Table 6 of the Data downloads. These estimates are only updated in alternate releases.
The subdivision level is the second broadest grouping of industries within the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification. Industry subdivisions are built up from the industry groups which, in turn, are built up from industry classes.
The following experimental estimates present payroll jobs by employment size between the weeks ending 14 March 2020 and 27 March 2021.
Care should be exercised when focusing on recent movements in payroll jobs by employment size, as they are subject to higher than usual levels of revision (over a longer period) than other estimates. This is particularly the case for small employers (with under 20 employees). Further information is presented on the impact of revisions to the small employers (under 20 employees) index in the Data limitations and revisions section of the Methodology (under Variation in revisions).
| Change between 13 Mar 2021 and 27 Mar 2021 (b) | Change between 14 Mar 2020 and 27 Mar 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 20 employees | New South Wales | -1.2% | -2.9% |
| Victoria | -1.2% | -2.4% | |
| Queensland | -0.9% | -0.1% | |
| South Australia | -0.5% | 2.1% | |
| Western Australia | -1.2% | 3.3% | |
| Tasmania | -0.8% | -1.0% | |
| Northern Territory | -0.4% | 5.1% | |
| Australian Capital Territory | -2.6% | -2.4% | |
| Australia | -1.1% | -1.2% | |
| 20-199 employees | New South Wales | 0.2% | -1.7% |
| Victoria | 0.1% | -2.8% | |
| Queensland | -0.1% | -1.5% | |
| South Australia | 0.4% | -0.1% | |
| Western Australia | 1.0% | 2.3% | |
| Tasmania | -0.8% | -4.7% | |
| Northern Territory | 0.5% | 0.4% | |
| Australian Capital Territory | -0.9% | -2.4% | |
| Australia | 0.2% | -1.5% | |
| 200 employees and over | New South Wales | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Victoria | 0.9% | 1.4% | |
| Queensland | 1.1% | -1.3% | |
| South Australia | 0.7% | 1.5% | |
| Western Australia | 0.7% | 1.3% | |
| Tasmania | 1.0% | 1.0% | |
| Northern Territory | -0.1% | 1.4% | |
| Australian Capital Territory | 0.8% | 0.2% | |
| Australia | 0.8% | 0.5% |
a. Care should be exercised when focusing on the most recent movements in payroll jobs. For more information, please see Data limitations and revisions.
These estimates are updated in alternate releases, and were updated to the week ending 27 March 2021 on Wednesday 14 April 2021.
These estimates are updated in alternate releases. They were last updated on Wednesday 31 March 2021 and will be next updated on Wednesday 28 April 2021.
Previously titled Employment size - Payroll jobs index
Contains estimates of payroll jobs by 5 year age groups, available in this release since 3 March 2021.
Updated to include Table 5 as released on Wednesday 14 April 2021
The following sections of the Methodology were updated in this release:
16 April 2021: Interactive maps updated to the week ending 27 March 2021.
14 April 2021: Sub-state - Payroll jobs indexes (Table 5 of the Data downloads) were updated to the week ending 27 March 2021.
Previously published articles and information of interest are linked below:
This release previously used catalogue number 6160.0.55.001.