Payroll jobs and wages estimates, sourced from Single Touch Payroll (STP) data
Between the weeks ending 11 February 2023 and 11 March 2023:
This release includes an article with selected insights on seasonality in indexes of payroll jobs and total wages paid at the 2022 year-end.
The focus in summary text now highlights monthly percentage change instead of fortnightly. Fortnightly percentage changes are still available within included tables.
These estimates are not seasonally adjusted. Seasonality can affect the interpretation of change in payroll jobs and wages, particularly between sub-annual periods. While annual comparisons can assist in understanding underlying change, they are less useful when events such as public holidays or pandemic lockdowns don't occur in the same week in both years.
In addition, when comparing the change in payroll jobs and wages between any two periods, interpretation can be complicated by variations in their composition. Payroll job indexes are compiled from over 11 million jobs and variations in the types of jobs reported can result in compositional change (which is not quantified). For example, each payroll job in each week:
Wages can be more heavily influenced by week-to-week change in composition, as the wages index reflects movements in aggregate wages and salaries paid (unlike the ABS Wage Price Index which presents changes in the price of labour unaffected by compositional shifts in the labour force, hours worked or employee characteristics). Variability in wages indexes in this release in any given week may be due to:
Compositional change can also differ at the industry or state and territory level, particularly when there are localised labour market issues.
The combination of seasonal effects and differences in composition can increase the volatility of week-on-week or month-on-month changes in these estimates. For these reasons, the ABS recommends using comparisons of the current month to the same month in the previous year, or 3 months prior, to understand any trends in the payroll jobs and wages estimates presented. These comparisons will likely reduce the impact of seasonal factors and compositional change, making trends easier to identify.
To learn more about the different labour measures available, their purpose and how to use them, see our Earnings guide.
This release sees higher than usual revisions in November 2022, as the 16 week imputation retention threshold passes through this period. These revisions mostly reflect the removal of previously imputed records, with the receipt of more complete data. Users should exercise caution when referring to estimates around this period.
The ABS has recently reviewed payroll jobs and total wages estimates in early 2020 and applied some additional adjustments, correcting previously untreated anomalies. These adjustments have affected a small number of indexes, resulting in small revisions in some indexes in the first half of 2020, and a change in level for some indexes in the later time series due to their implementation across the index base period (week ending 14 March 2020).
This release presents percentage change between the weeks ending 11 March 2023 and:
This differs for employment size estimates which are month lagged.
In the month to 11 March 2023:
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll jobs | 0.0 | 0.6 | 3.5 |
| Total wages | -1.8 | -1.8 | 7.2 |
Estimates of change 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 month to 11 March 2023, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | -0.2 | 0.2 | 3.0 |
| Victoria | 0.0 | 0.7 | 3.3 |
| Queensland | 0.1 | 0.7 | 4.1 |
| South Australia | 0.2 | 1.1 | 2.9 |
| Western Australia | 0.1 | 0.7 | 4.9 |
| Tasmania | -0.4 | -0.1 | 2.9 |
| Northern Territory | 1.0 | 2.3 | 5.4 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 0.3 | 0.8 | 3.3 |
| Australia | 0.0 | 0.6 | 3.5 |
This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the month up to 11 March 2023, by the state and territory of the jobholder's residential address.
In the month to 11 March 2023, the largest changes in total wages paid were:
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | -3.0 | -3.1 | 6.3 |
| Victoria | -2.7 | -2.4 | 6.5 |
| Queensland | -1.0 | -0.9 | 8.9 |
| South Australia | -0.6 | -0.2 | 7.1 |
| Western Australia | 1.0 | 0.5 | 8.1 |
| Tasmania | -1.6 | -0.9 | 8.1 |
| Northern Territory | 1.8 | 3.5 | 9.7 |
| Australian Capital Territory | -2.3 | -1.6 | 5.6 |
| Australia | -1.8 | -1.8 | 7.2 |
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 month up to 11 March 2023, by the GCCSA region of the jobholder's residential address.
The ACT only has one GCCSA region for the entire Territory.
In mid-March 2023, the proportion of jobholders with unknown sex has risen to 5.4%. These jobholders are not evenly distributed, hence this proportion differs across detailed indexes which include sex, and can affect comparisons over time.
Indexes of persons aged 15-19 years old by sex are affected by a higher proportion of records with unknown sex than other age groups. For more information, see the Update of jobholder characteristics in the historical Methods review.
In the month to 11 March 2023, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Males | -0.4 | -0.1 | -1.0 |
| Females | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.9 | |
| Age group (years) | 15-19 | -1.6 | -1.6 | 2.7 |
| 20-29 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 3.3 | |
| 30-39 | -0.1 | 0.5 | 3.4 | |
| 40-49 | -0.1 | 0.5 | 2.8 | |
| 50-59 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 2.4 | |
| 60-69 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 6.0 | |
| 70 and over | 2.0 | 3.9 | 9.6 | |
| All persons | 0.0 | 0.6 | 3.5 |
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 month to 11 March 2023, the largest changes in total wages paid were:
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | Males | -2.4 | -2.7 | 4.7 |
| Females | -1.2 | -0.9 | 6.3 | |
| Age group (years) | 15-19 | -3.4 | -4.5 | 14.3 |
| 20-29 | -2.2 | -2.2 | 8.8 | |
| 30-39 | -2.3 | -2.3 | 7.1 | |
| 40-49 | -1.9 | -1.7 | 5.8 | |
| 50-59 | -1.4 | -1.2 | 5.6 | |
| 60-69 | -0.5 | -0.5 | 9.7 | |
| 70 and over | -2.4 | -1.4 | 13.8 | |
| All persons | -1.8 | -1.8 | 7.2 |
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.
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.
As of this release, the graph included in this section will present monthly change in payroll jobs compared to the same period a year earlier.
In the month to 11 March 2023, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:
Public administration and safety, up 1.6%
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | -0.1 | 0.3 | -5.0 |
| Mining | 0.1 | 0.1 | 10.9 |
| Manufacturing | -0.7 | -0.9 | -0.7 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 0.1 | 0.2 | 4.7 |
| Construction | -0.3 | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| Wholesale trade | -1.3 | -1.6 | 2.5 |
| Retail trade | -0.8 | -1.0 | 2.0 |
| Accommodation and food services | -0.3 | -0.4 | -2.8 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | -0.8 | -1.2 | 1.0 |
| Information media and telecommunications | -0.6 | -0.3 | 5.5 |
| Financial and insurance services | -1.3 | -1.6 | 2.2 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | -0.4 | -0.6 | 0.3 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.9 |
| Administrative and support services | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.6 |
| Public administration and safety | 0.6 | 1.6 | 2.9 |
| Education and training | 2.6 | 5.8 | 4.9 |
| Health care and social assistance | 0.0 | 1.3 | 4.6 |
| Arts and recreation services | 0.1 | 0.9 | 8.1 |
| Other services | -0.4 | -0.3 | -1.2 |
| All industries | 0.0 | 0.6 | 3.5 |
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 month to 11 March 2023, the largest changes in total wages paid were:
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | -2.0 | -1.0 | 2.0 |
| Mining | 3.9 | 1.3 | 8.2 |
| Manufacturing | 1.0 | 1.1 | 2.9 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | -0.5 | -0.6 | 3.0 |
| Construction | -3.1 | -4.5 | 6.4 |
| Wholesale trade | -1.4 | -0.9 | 3.5 |
| Retail trade | -2.2 | -4.0 | 10.8 |
| Accommodation and food services | -1.1 | -2.0 | 2.5 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | -3.8 | -4.8 | 8.6 |
| Information media and telecommunications | -7.9 | -6.8 | 8.4 |
| Financial and insurance services | -7.4 | -7.1 | -0.6 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | -6.6 | -6.7 | 0.7 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | -4.0 | -3.2 | 8.4 |
| Administrative and support services | -2.8 | -2.9 | 5.7 |
| Public administration and safety | 0.6 | 0.7 | 5.8 |
| Education and training | 1.6 | 3.2 | 9.5 |
| Health care and social assistance | -0.6 | 0.1 | 5.5 |
| Arts and recreation services | -1.1 | -0.9 | 10.6 |
| Other services | -2.9 | -2.7 | 6.0 |
| All industries | -1.8 | -1.8 | 7.2 |
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.
To learn more about the different labour measures available, their purpose and how to use them, see our Industry employment guide.
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.
This release presents percentage change between the weeks ending 11 February 2023 and:
12 February 2022, for year
In the month to 11 February 2023, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:
| Fortnight (%) | Month (%) | Year (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-19 employees | 0.5 | 2.7 | 3.7 |
| 20-199 employees | 1.0 | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| 200 employees and over | 1.8 | 3.2 | 5.0 |
| All businesses | 1.2 | 2.9 | 3.9 |
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. For more information on the source, impact and proportion of unknowns, see the Updating characteristic variables and Inclusion of unknown characteristics sections of How data are processed.
Contains selected distributions of jobholder and employer characteristics.
Previously published articles and information of interest are linked below:
This release previously used catalogue number 6160.0.55.001.