Participation, Job Search and Mobility, Australia

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Labour participation potential, underemployment and job attachment, job search experience, labour mobility, hours worked, industry and occupation.

Reference period

February 2022

Released

24/05/2022

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Key statistics

During the year ending February 2022:

1.8 million people were not working but wanted to work (potential workers).
1.3 million people (or 9.5% of employed people) changed jobs, the highest annual job mobility rate since 2012.
The annual retrenchment rate was 1.5%, the lowest annual rate on record (since 1972).

What's new this issue?

New table formats

The results from the February 2022 Participation, Job Search and Mobility survey are published below using new table formats. These new table formats incorporate two changes:

State and territory data now available in all tables
Tables are renumbered by topic

Some tables also incorporate additional age group data.

Release schedule for February 2022 release

There are a number of planned changes to the February 2022 release of Participation, Job Search and Mobility (PJSM).

The release of PJSM data into TableBuilder has been delayed until later in the year in order to prepare for the release of 2021 Census data in TableBuilder. PJSM microdata will instead be published in ABS DataLab as a supplementary file for the Longitudinal Labour Force microdata.

On 24 May 2022:

Potential workers for February 2022 is available now.
Job mobility for February 2022 is available now.
This page has tables with February 2022 data for all three PJSM topics in Data downloads, including Underemployed workers.

On 27 May 2022:

Microdata from PJSM for 2015 to 2022 will be released in ABS DataLab as a supplementary file alongside the April 2022 update to the Longitudinal Labour Force microdata. This will provide an alternative method of analysing PJSM data while TableBuilder is delayed.

On 24 Jun 2022:

Underemployed workers is predominately based on underemployment data from the Labour Force survey and will be updated with the latest data from the May 2022 Labour Force survey. It will also be supplemented with February 2022 PJSM data on underemployed part-time workers (available now on this page in Data downloads).

Data downloads

How to use tables

Select a state or territory
The estimates shown in the table are for the most recent time period (February 2022)
The corresponding Time Series ID links to series of annual estimates for earlier time periods (2015 to 2021)

Screenshot of a Table showing how to use the layout to find the latest estimates plus links to Time series data for previous estimates

Download all (14.43 MB)

Potential workers

Data files

Table 1. Potential workers and discouraged job seekers (previously Table 1)
Download xlsx [755.18 KB]
Table 2. Characteristics of discouraged job seekers and other potential workers (previously Table 8)
Download xlsx [2.98 MB]
Table 3. Duration since last job and main activity of discouraged job seekers and other potential workers (previously Table 9)
Download xlsx [3.43 MB]
Table 4. Main reason for not actively looking for work of persons who wanted to work and were available (previously Table 11)
Download xlsx [470.31 KB]
Table 5. Job search experience of unemployed persons (previously Table 12)
Download xlsx [1.36 MB]
Table 6. Characteristics of successful and unsuccessful job search experience (previously Table 13)
Download xlsx [1.09 MB]
Table 7. Number of job offers while looking for work (previously Table 14)
Download xlsx [2.43 MB]
Table 8. Main difficulty and duration of job search of unemployed persons (previously Table 15)
Download xlsx [3.06 MB]
Table 9. Main difficulty in finding work by age of unemployed persons (previously Table 16)
Download xlsx [2.1 MB]
Relative standard errors, Tables 1 to 9
Download zip [10.45 MB]

Download all (11.4 MB)

Job mobility

Data files

Table 1. Labour mobility, retrenchments and duration of employment (previously Table 17)
Download xlsx [849.86 KB]
Table 2. Retrenchments and other reasons for ceasing a job last year (previously Table 10)
Download xlsx [4.52 MB]
Table 3. Change in employment characteristics of persons employed last year (previously Table 18)
Download xlsx [1.3 MB]
Table 4. Separations and other changes in employment of people employed last year by industry (previously Table 19)
Download xlsx [2.4 MB]
Table 5. Engagements and other changes in employment of people employed last year by industry
Download xlsx [2.37 MB]
Table 6. Separations and other changes in employment of people employed last year by occupation (previously Table 20)
Download xlsx [1.59 MB]
Table 7. Engagements and other changes in employment of people employed last year by occupation (new table)
Download xlsx [1.55 MB]
Relative standard errors, Tables 1 to 7
Download zip [8.33 MB]

Download all (6.84 MB)

Underemployed workers

Data files

Table 1. Cyclical and structural underemployment of full-time and part-time workers (new table)
Download xlsx [1.38 MB]
Table 2. Extended measures of underutilisation (previously Table 22)
Download xlsx [208.25 KB]
Table 3. Underemployment status of full-time and part-time workers (previously Table 2)
Download xlsx [208.91 KB]
Table 4. Part-time workers who prefer more hours (previously Table 3)
Download xlsx [272.12 KB]
Table 5. Characteristics of part-time workers who prefer more hours (previously Table 4)
Download xlsx [962.34 KB]
Table 6. Duration of insufficient hours of underemployed part-time workers (previously Table 5)
Download xlsx [2.75 MB]
Table 7. Number of extra weekly hours preferred by underemployed part-time workers (previously Table 6)
Download xlsx [1.88 MB]
Table 8. Main difficulty in finding more work of underemployed part-time workers (previously Table 7)
Download xlsx [580.31 KB]
Relative standard errors, Tables 2 to 8
Download zip [3.84 MB]

Download all (1.3 MB)

Microdata and TableBuilder: Participation, Job Search and Mobility

Data files

Table 1. Populations
Download xlsx [944.83 KB]
Relative Standard Errors, Table 1
Download xlsx [370.06 KB]
Microdata: Participation, Job Search and Mobility, Data item list, 2015 to 2022
Download xlsx [668.98 KB]

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 6226.0* (and 6226.0.55.001 in 2014).

Prior to 2014, statistics were published in:

Labour Mobility (6209.0), 1972-2013.
Persons Not in the Labour Force (6220.0), 1975-2013.
Job Search Experience (6222.0), 1976-2013.
Underemployed workers (6265.0), 1985-2013.
Labour Force Experience (6206.0), 1968-2011.
Career Experience (6254.0), 1993-2002.
Retrenchment and Redundancy (6266.0), 1997-2001.
Successful and Unsuccessful Job Search Experience (6245.0), 1982-2000.
Persons Who Had Re-entered The Labour Force (6264.0), 1985-1995.
Persons Who Have Left The Labour Force (6267.0), 1985-1994.
Labour Turnover (6210.0), 1949-1976.

* Note: Catalogue number 6226.0 was previously used for School Leavers, 1970 to 1974: their Employment Status and Education Experience, May 1975.

Methodology

Participation, Job Search and Mobility, Australia methodology, February 2022

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APA

Participation, Job Search and Mobility, Australia

APA

Key statistics

What's new this issue?

New table formats

Release schedule for February 2022 release

Data downloads

How to use tables

Potential workers

Table 1. Potential workers and discouraged job seekers (previously Table 1)

Table 2. Characteristics of discouraged job seekers and other potential workers (previously Table 8)

Table 3. Duration since last job and main activity of discouraged job seekers and other potential workers (previously Table 9)

Table 4. Main reason for not actively looking for work of persons who wanted to work and were available (previously Table 11)

Table 5. Job search experience of unemployed persons (previously Table 12)

Table 6. Characteristics of successful and unsuccessful job search experience (previously Table 13)

Table 7. Number of job offers while looking for work (previously Table 14)

Table 8. Main difficulty and duration of job search of unemployed persons (previously Table 15)

Table 9. Main difficulty in finding work by age of unemployed persons (previously Table 16)

Relative standard errors, Tables 1 to 9

Job mobility

Table 1. Labour mobility, retrenchments and duration of employment (previously Table 17)

Table 2. Retrenchments and other reasons for ceasing a job last year (previously Table 10)

Table 3. Change in employment characteristics of persons employed last year (previously Table 18)

Table 4. Separations and other changes in employment of people employed last year by industry (previously Table 19)

Table 5. Engagements and other changes in employment of people employed last year by industry

Table 6. Separations and other changes in employment of people employed last year by occupation (previously Table 20)

Table 7. Engagements and other changes in employment of people employed last year by occupation (new table)

Relative standard errors, Tables 1 to 7

Underemployed workers

Table 1. Cyclical and structural underemployment of full-time and part-time workers (new table)

Table 2. Extended measures of underutilisation (previously Table 22)

Table 3. Underemployment status of full-time and part-time workers (previously Table 2)

Table 4. Part-time workers who prefer more hours (previously Table 3)

Table 5. Characteristics of part-time workers who prefer more hours (previously Table 4)

Table 6. Duration of insufficient hours of underemployed part-time workers (previously Table 5)

Table 7. Number of extra weekly hours preferred by underemployed part-time workers (previously Table 6)

Table 8. Main difficulty in finding more work of underemployed part-time workers (previously Table 7)

Relative standard errors, Tables 2 to 8

Microdata and TableBuilder: Participation, Job Search and Mobility

Table 1. Populations

Relative Standard Errors, Table 1

Microdata: Participation, Job Search and Mobility, Data item list, 2015 to 2022

Previous catalogue number

Methodology

Media releases

Job mobility rises over the second year of the pandemic

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Microdata and TableBuilder