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 13 May 2023
Released
8/06/2023

Key statistics

Between the weeks ending 15 April 2023 and 13 May 2023:

  • Payroll jobs, up 0.5%
  • Total wages paid, down 2.4%
Monthly Employee Earnings Indicator

On 21 June 2023, the ABS will release the first issue of the Monthly Employee Earnings Indicator. The new indicator is based on Single Touch Payroll data and will include movements and level estimates in wages and salaries paid by employers to employees. The first issue will relate to the calendar month reference period of April 2023. 

Factors affecting interpretation

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: 

  • is counted in the same way regardless of job status (full-time, part-time or casual), hence variations in demand for casual staff can influence week-on-week change.
  • represents an individual in every paid job reported via STP, hence jobholders working multiple jobs are counted more than once. While multiple jobholders account for less than 10% of all payroll jobs, they can increase the rate of change seen week-to-week (in some industries) in circumstances where they are unable to work in any of their jobs (e.g. due to illness) and are not paid when absent.

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:

  • changes in hours worked,
  • the inclusion of cyclical payments such as bonuses, commissions or lump sum payment of leave loading,
  • payment of penalty rates for public holidays (which may not fall on the same date each year), or
  • the inclusion of irregular payments such as overtime, ad hoc or one-off payments relating to employee recognition or enterprise agreement sign-on.

Compositional change can also differ at the industry or state and territory level, particularly when there are localised labour market issues.

Alternative period comparisons 

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. 

Earnings guide

To learn more about the different labour measures available, their purpose and how to use them, see our Earnings guide.  

Revisions

This release sees higher than usual revisions between late-January and mid-February 2023, 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. 

Change periods

This release presents percentage change between the weeks ending 13 May 2023 and:

  • 29 April 2023, for fortnight
  • 15 April 2023, for month
  • 14 May 2022, for year

This differs for employment size estimates which are month lagged.

National

    In the month to 13 May 2023:

    • Payroll jobs increased by 0.5%, compared to a decrease of 1.3% in the previous month
    • Total wages paid decreased by 2.4%, compared to a decrease of 2.4% in the previous month
    Percentage change in payroll jobs and total wages
    Fortnight (%)Month (%)Year (%)
    Payroll jobs0.00.53.7
    Total wages-1.5-2.48.6

    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.

    1. Indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020.
    2. 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 variability and revisions

    State and territory

    Payroll jobs

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

    In the month to 13 May 2023, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:

    • Queensland and Northern Territory, up 0.9%
    • Victoria, up 0.5%
    Percentage change in payroll jobs, by state and territory
    Fortnight (%)Month (%)Year (%)
    New South Wales0.00.33.4
    Victoria0.10.53.3
    Queensland-0.10.93.9
    South Australia0.30.14.1
    Western Australia0.20.45.2
    Tasmania-0.20.13.2
    Northern Territory-0.10.95.4
    Australian Capital Territory-0.30.13.6
    Australia0.00.53.7

    Monthly percentage change in payroll jobs, by state and territory

    Loading map...

    This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the month up to 13 May 2023, by the state and territory of the jobholder's residential address. 

    Total wages

    In the month to 13 May 2023, the largest changes in total wages paid were:

    • New South Wales, down 3.0%
    • Victoria, down 2.9%
    Percentage change in total wages, by state and territory
    Fortnight (%)Month (%)Year (%)
    New South Wales-1.8-3.08.5
    Victoria-1.8-2.97.4
    Queensland-0.8-1.39.3
    South Australia-1.3-2.28.0
    Western Australia-1.5-1.910.5
    Tasmania-1.1-2.58.3
    Northern Territory-1.0-0.49.4
    Australian Capital Territory-0.30.38.0
    Australia-1.5-2.48.6

    Sub-state - payroll jobs

    The jobholder characteristic of sub-state geography is primarily sourced from the Client Register and as the snapshot ages, sees a higher proportion of unknowns than some other characteristics. State and territory level indexes are not affected by this issue as that characteristic is also sourced from STP data. 

    The current Client Register snapshot used to source sub-state geography was taken in mid-2021 and implemented in these estimates in February 2022. In mid-May 2023, the proportion of jobholders with unknown sub-state geography is around 5.7%. As such, the ABS recommends that care be exercised when using these indexes to make long term comparisons. 

    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.

    Monthly percentage change in payroll jobs, by GCCSA regions

    Loading map...

    This map presents the percentage change in payroll jobs in the month up to 13 May 2023, by the GCCSA region of the jobholder's residential address. 

    Footnotes

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

    Sex and age group

    Payroll jobs

    In mid-May 2023, the proportion of jobholders with unknown sex has risen to 6.1%. 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 mid-May 2023, the proportion of jobholders with unknown sex for the 15-19 year old age group is around 47%. Subsequently, indexes of persons aged 15-19 years old by sex have been withdrawn in this release (in Table 4 and Table 8 of the data downloads) until the sex characteristic is next updated in these estimates. 

    In the month to 13 May 2023, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:

    • worked by females, up 0.8%
    • worked by persons aged 70 and over, up 2.0%
    Percentage change in payroll jobs, by sex and age group (a)
      Fortnight (%)Month (%)Year (%)
    SexMales-0.4-0.4-0.6
    Females0.30.80.7
    Age group (years)15-19-0.91.62.3
    20-290.10.53.9
    30-390.00.24.0
    40-490.10.43.3
    50-590.10.32.6
    60-690.80.95.5
    70 and over1.12.07.4
    All persons 0.00.53.7

    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.

    Total wages

    In the month to 13 May 2023, the largest changes in total wages paid were:

    • worked by males, down 3.1%
    • worked by persons aged 15-19, down 5.6%
    Percentage change in payroll wages, by sex and age group (a)
      Fortnight (%)Month (%)Year (%)
    SexMales-2.2-3.16.4
    Females-1.0-1.66.6
    Age group (years)15-191.0-5.614.2
    20-29-1.3-2.08.4
    30-39-1.6-2.38.4
    40-49-1.8-2.38.4
    50-59-1.9-2.77.7
    60-69-0.8-1.99.9
    70 and over-0.2-1.511.2
    All persons -1.5-2.48.6

    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.

    5 year age groups - Payroll jobs

    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.

    Industry

    Payroll jobs

    In the month to 13 May 2023, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:

    • Education and training, up 3.9%
    • Arts and recreation services, up 2.0%
    Percentage change in payroll jobs, by industry (a)
    Fortnight (%)Month (%)Year (%)
    Agriculture, forestry and fishing-0.8-1.4-4.9
    Mining0.30.39.6
    Manufacturing-0.4-0.60.3
    Electricity, gas, water and waste services-0.20.33.7
    Construction-0.2-0.30.2
    Wholesale trade-0.2-0.43.8
    Retail trade-0.7-0.41.3
    Accommodation and food services0.10.7-2.0
    Transport, postal and warehousing-0.31.02.6
    Information media and telecommunications-0.8-1.73.0
    Financial and insurance services-1.0-0.93.4
    Rental, hiring and real estate services-0.1-0.2-0.2
    Professional, scientific and technical services-1.0-1.00.1
    Administrative and support services-0.10.40.6
    Public administration and safety0.20.92.7
    Education and training3.13.93.9
    Health care and social assistance0.21.04.5
    Arts and recreation services-0.22.09.9
    Other services-0.40.50.3
    All industries0.00.53.7
    1. Some industries experience pronounced seasonality in either payroll jobs and wages or both. For more information, see Seasonality in Data variability and revisions.

    1. Industries ranked by percentage change in the latest month.

    Total wages

    In the month to 13 May 2023, the largest changes in total wages paid were:

    • Wholesale trade, down 10.0%
    • Retail trade, down 7.8%
    Percentage change in total wages, by industry (a)
    Fortnight (%)Month (%)Year (%)
    Agriculture, forestry and fishing-0.70.04.3
    Mining-3.0-3.116.5
    Manufacturing-4.1-5.06.1
    Electricity, gas, water and waste services-2.8-1.98.3
    Construction-1.1-0.68.6
    Wholesale trade-4.8-10.08.8
    Retail trade-2.3-7.87.4
    Accommodation and food services-4.3-6.00.2
    Transport, postal and warehousing-3.1-3.910.3
    Information media and telecommunications-3.5-3.68.2
    Financial and insurance services-0.5-1.07.1
    Rental, hiring and real estate services-0.6-0.53.7
    Professional, scientific and technical services-2.6-2.67.4
    Administrative and support services2.01.65.3
    Public administration and safety-0.20.36.1
    Education and training2.72.48.0
    Health care and social assistance-1.7-2.94.3
    Arts and recreation services-1.1-2.414.4
    Other services-1.4-0.27.0
    All industries-1.5-2.48.6
    1. Some industries experience pronounced seasonality in either payroll jobs and wages or both. For more information, see Seasonality in Data variability 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

    Industry employment guide

    To learn more about the different labour measures available, their purpose and how to use them, see our Industry employment guide.

    Employment size

    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 15 April 2023 and:

    • 1 April 2023, for fortnight

    • 18 March 2023, for month

    • 16 April 2022, for year

    In the month to 15 April 2023, the largest changes in payroll jobs were:

    • 0-19 employees, down 3.2%
    Percentage change in payroll jobs by employment size, for the week ending 15 April 2023 (a)
    Fortnight (%)Month (%)Year (%)
    0-19 employees-2.7-3.24.7
    20-199 employees-1.6-1.71.1
    200 employees and over-0.3-0.15.5
    All businesses-1.2-1.34.3
    1. Records with 'unknown' employment size are only included in the calculation of All businesses indexes. For more information, see Revisions in sub-populations in Data variability 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. 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

    Table 20: Payroll jobs - characteristics distributions

    Contains selected distributions of jobholder and employer characteristics. 

    Data downloads

    From the release of 11 May 2023, indexes of persons aged 15-19 years old by sex have been suspended. These estimates were previously available in Tables 4 and 8, but have been replaced with NA (not available) from this release onwards. 

    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

    The following section was updated in this release:

    • Sex and age group: Graph of payroll jobs by sex will no longer be included

    Previous catalogue number

    This release previously used catalogue number 6160.0.55.001.

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