Business turnover in trend terms rose 0.1 per cent in April according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Robert Ewing, ABS head of business statistics, said: “The business turnover 13-industry aggregate has remained steady for the last six months, in trend terms.
“In seasonally adjusted terms, the 13-industry aggregate increased 1.5 per cent in April, the largest increase since September 2023.
“The most prominent rise was from the Professional, scientific and technical services industry, up 5.5 per cent. This was followed by Wholesale trade with a rise of 3.2 per cent and Transport, postal and warehousing, which grew 3.1 per cent.”
The rise in turnover for the Professional, scientific and technical services industry was driven by Management and related consulting services, Advertising services and Scientific research services.
| March 2024 to April 2024 (%) | April 2023 to April 2024 (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 5.5 | 7.5 |
| Wholesale trade | 3.2 | 2.5 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 3.1 | 9.0 |
| Other services | 2.8 | 5.5 |
| Retail trade | 2.2 | 4.9 |
| Construction | 1.8 | 9.2 |
| Administrative and support services | 1.2 | 6.9 |
| Manufacturing | 0.2 | 1.4 |
| Accommodation and food services | -0.7 | 4.5 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | -0.8 | 14.8 |
| Mining | -0.9 | -8.8 |
| Information media and telecommunications | -1.4 | 9.2 |
| Arts and recreation services | -3.4 | 0.7 |
| 13-industry aggregate | 1.5 | 2.9 |
The largest fall in turnover was in the Arts and recreation services industry which showed a drop for a second month and has now returned to a more typical level after very strong growth in December 2023 and February 2024.
Compared to April 2023, turnover was higher for all 13 industries included in the indicator except Mining which fell 8.8 per cent.
The industries that saw the biggest annual rises were Electricity, gas, water and waste services (14.8 per cent), Construction and Information media and telecommunications (both 9.2 per cent).
