Payroll jobs rose 0.5 per cent in the month to 13 May 2023, following a similar pattern to the same time last year, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Bjorn Jarvis, ABS head of labour statistics, said: “In the month to mid-May 2023, we again saw a rise in payroll jobs after a fall around the Easter and Autumn school holiday period.”
“This was similar to the pattern last year, which suggests that jobs and employment in the labour market were broadly tracking what we saw coming out of Easter last year when statistics were released in June 2022. It was slightly weaker than last year, at which time there was still some recovery from the COVID-19 Omicron-related impacts in early 2022.”
| 2022 (released in June 2022) (pts) | 2023 (released in June 2023) (pts) | |
|---|---|---|
| week 0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| week 1 | 100.3 | 100.1 |
| week 2 | 100.4 | 100.3 |
| week 3 | 100.2 | 100.0 |
| week 4 | 100.1 | 99.3 |
| week 5 | 99.3 | 98.8 |
| week 6 | 98.9 | 99.0 |
| week 7 | 99.3 | 99.2 |
| week 8 | 99.4 | 99.3 |
| week 9 | 99.5 | 99.3 |
Week 0 represents the weeks ending 12 March 2022 and 11 March 2023. Week 9 represents the weeks ending 14 May 2022 and 13 May 2023. Easter fell on week 6 in 2022 and week 5 in 2023.
Seasonal rise in jobs in the Education and training industry
In the month to mid-May 2023, 10 out of 19 industries saw payroll job increases, with the largest in Education and training (3.9 per cent) as students returned to studies across the country.
The Education and training industry accounted for close to half (around 47 per cent) of the total rise in payroll jobs in this period.
In contrast, payroll jobs in the Professional, scientific and technical services industry fell by 1.0 per cent in the month to mid-May, accounting for close to a third (around 31 per cent) of the total fall.
| Month to 14 May 2022 (%) | Month to 13 May 2023 (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Education and training | 4.2 | 3.9 |
| Health care and social assistance | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Accommodation and food services | 3.7 | 0.7 |
| Construction | -0.1 | -0.3 |
| Retail trade | 0.4 | -0.4 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 0.5 | -1.0 |
The selected industries hold the largest share of payroll jobs, of around 55% of total jobs.
Payroll job rises in the Accommodation and food services industry in 2022 reflect pandemic related recovery.
Payroll job rise in all states and territories
Payroll jobs increased in all states and territories in the month to mid-May 2023. The largest rises were in Queensland and the Northern Territory (both 0.9 per cent), which both saw students return to studies a week earlier than other parts if the country.
