Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia, Interim

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

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Reference period
Week ending 30 October 2021
Released
25/11/2021
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Key statistics

Payroll jobs:

  • up 1.4% in the fortnight up to 30 October 2021
  • up 1.7% in the previous fortnight (to 16 October 2021)

Revisions

In this release: early September

This release includes larger than usual revisions for the period between late August and mid-September. This reflects larger than usual variability in Single Touch Payroll reporting over this period, with more complete data now available.

Prior to this release, the ABS applied a temporary smoothing treatment across this period while additional quality assurance work was undertaken. This treatment has now been removed, resulting in larger than usual levels of revision, particularly in early September. These revisions are larger in states and territories where lockdowns occurred. 

In the next monthly release

The next Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia release will include an update to the employer characteristics of jobs. This will result in additional one-off revisions in indexes of employer characteristics (industry, employment size, sector), particularly during 2021. Further detail is provided in Upcoming revisions in employer characteristics. 

This interim release presents an updated suite of high-level payroll job indexes, including Australia and each state and territory, up to the week ending 30 October 2021. 

National, state and territory

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

State and territory percentage change in payroll jobs, in the fortnight to 30 October 2021

This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 30 October 2021, by the state and territory of the jobholder's residential address. 

- New South Wales (1.9%)
- Victoria (2.6%)
- Queensland (0.0%)
- South Australia (0.2%)
- Western Australia (0.4%)
- Tasmania (0.5%)
- Northern Territory (0.2%)
- Australian Capital Territory (4.4%)

 

Largest changes in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 30 October 2021:

  • Australian Capital Territory, up 4.4% 
  • Victoria, up 2.6% 
  • New South Wales, up 1.9%

Largest share of the increase in payroll jobs in the fortnight up to 30 October 2021:

  • Victoria, with a 47.8% share 
  • New South Wales, with a 42.7% share
  • Australian Capital Territory, with a 5.2% share

The distribution of payroll jobs by state and territory is detailed further in the monthly release. 

Percentage change in payroll jobs, by state and territory
In the fortnight since 16 October 2021In the month since 2 October 2021In the year since 31 October 2020
New South Wales1.9%5.7%0.5%
Victoria2.6%4.0%3.3%
Queensland0.0%0.6%4.0%
South Australia0.2%0.3%4.2%
Western Australia0.4%0.6%5.8%
Tasmania0.5%0.1%4.0%
Northern Territory0.2%0.3%6.3%
Australian Capital Territory4.4%7.4%-1.1%
Australia1.4%3.1%2.8%

 

In this release, revisions to payroll jobs indexes are larger than usual in mid to late July 2021. The 16 week imputation threshold has passed through the end of the financial year and into multiple state and territory Delta lockdown periods. This period saw increased lags in reporting in lockdown areas, in addition to higher than usual variability around the end of the financial year. These factors contributed to some over-imputation in July, which is now being removed alongside the receipt of more complete data.

Users should use caution when referring to estimates across late July. 

Data download

Table 1: Selected payroll job indexes

National, state and territory payroll job indexes to the week ending 30 October 2021

Data files
Download xlsx [42.21 KB]

Upcoming revisions in employer characteristics

Categorising payroll jobs in close to real-time is challenging. It requires the ABS to use the best available employer (e.g. industry) and jobholder (e.g. geography) information, which change over time.

Over the last year, the ABS has continued to review and improve the methods which support the Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia series to enhance the quality of estimates and provide the best measure of weekly change.

The next release, on 9 December 2021, includes an update to the method determining employer characteristics of jobs. This will result in additional one-off revisions in employer characteristics indexes (industry, employment size, sector) particularly during 2021.

For industry indexes, the level of revisions will differ. Upward revisions (of at least one index point) are expected in 8 of 19 payroll job industry indexes, with downward revisions in 7. Industries which are expected to see the largest revisions in payroll jobs indexes are:

  • Upward: Mining, Information media and telecommunications, and Education and training.
  • Downward: Rental, hiring and real estate services, Public administration and safety and Other services.

Industries which are expected to see the largest revisions in wages indexes are:

  • Upward: Mining, Information media and telecommunications, and Education and training.
  • Downward: Rental, hiring and real estate services, Administrative and support services and Other services.

Revisions will also flow through to payroll job indexes by employment size and private sector by industry.

About this release

This interim release continues the provision of timely insights into payroll jobs during the current COVID-19 period. The reduced set of estimates available in this release are produced in line with our rapid response capability, and will be available a fortnight after each monthly release for a limited period. The final interim release will occur on 22 December 2021.

The full suite of payroll jobs and wages estimates are available in Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia, up to the week ending 16 October 2021. 

Methodology

Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia methodology, Week ending 16 October 2021