Payroll jobs rose 0.6 per cent in the month to mid-March 2023, following a larger seasonal rise of 2.9 per cent over the month to mid-February, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Bjorn Jarvis, ABS head of labour statistics, said: “The pace of payroll jobs growth in early 2023 was similar to what we saw in early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The middle of March 2023 marks three years since the start of the pandemic and is the first March without impacts from pandemic-related business disruptions. Payroll jobs now sit 10.5 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels.”
| 2020 (pts) | 2020-2021 (pts) | 2021-2022 (pts) | 2022-2023 (pts) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mid-Nov | 102.1 | 107.3 | 110.9 | |
| 102.4 | 107.8 | 111.2 | ||
| 102.8 | 108.1 | 111.4 | ||
| 103.3 | 108.5 | 111.6 | ||
| mid-Dec | 103.4 | 108.4 | 111.4 | |
| 102.6 | 107.6 | 111.6 | ||
| 98.8 | 103.9 | 109.1 | ||
| 92.8 | 96.1 | 99.5 | 104.7 | |
| 95.2 | 97.4 | 100.1 | 104.8 | |
| mid-Jan | 96.7 | 99.5 | 102.4 | 106.7 |
| 97.5 | 100.5 | 103.8 | 107.8 | |
| 98.1 | 101.1 | 104.6 | 108.5 | |
| 98.7 | 101.6 | 105.2 | 109.3 | |
| mid-Feb | 99.2 | 102.3 | 105.7 | 109.8 |
| 99.5 | 102.6 | 105.5 | 110.1 | |
| 99.5 | 103.0 | 105.4 | 110.5 | |
| 99.9 | 103.3 | 105.7 | 110.7 | |
| mid-Mar | 100.0 | 103.7 | 106.7 | 110.5 |
| 99.1 | 103.8 | 107.1 | ||
| 95.6 | 103.7 | 107.1 | ||
| 93.1 | 102.8 | 106.8 | ||
| mid-Apr | 91.7 | 102.4 | 107.0 |
Mid-Nov represents the week ending 14 November 2020, 13 November 2021 and 12 November 2022.
Mid-Dec represents the week ending 12 December 2020, 11 December 2021 and 10 December 2022.
Mid-Jan represents the week ending 18 January 2020, 16 January 2021, 15 January 2022 and 14 January 2023.
Mid-Feb represents the week ending 15 February 2020, 13 February 2021, 12 February 2022 and 11 February 2023.
Mid-Mar represents the week ending 14 March 2020, 13 March 2021, 12 March 2022 and 11 March 2023.
Mid-Apr represents the week ending 11 April 2020, 10 April 2021 and 9 April 2022.
Most states and territories saw a rise in payroll jobs in the month to mid-March 2023, with the largest in the Northern Territory (up 2.3 per cent) and South Australia (up 1.1 per cent).
“All jurisdictions have seen growth in payroll jobs since the start of the pandemic three years ago, ranging from an 8.9 per cent rise in New South Wales to 13.4 per cent in Western Australia,” Mr Jarvis said.
| Change between mid-March 2020 and 2023 (%) | |
|---|---|
| Western Australia | 13.4 |
| Northern Territory | 12.0 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 11.4 |
| Queensland | 11.4 |
| South Australia | 11.2 |
| Tasmania | 10.8 |
| AUSTRALIA | 10.5 |
| Victoria | 10.1 |
| New South Wales | 8.9 |
Mid-March represents the weeks ending 14 March 2020 and 11 March 2023.
In the month to mid-March 2023, 10 out of 19 industries saw payroll job increases, with the largest in Education and training (up 5.8 per cent).
In mid-March 2023, two industries had fewer payroll jobs than at the start of the pandemic.
“Only the Manufacturing and Transport, postal and warehousing industries had less payroll jobs in March 2023 than they had before the start of the pandemic, at 0.3 per cent and 0.9 per cent lower.
“The largest rises in the three years to mid-March 2023 were in the Arts and recreation services and Mining industries, up by 19.3 and 18.8 per cent. The growth in the Arts and recreation services is notable, given that this industry saw some of the highest payroll job losses in the first months of the pandemic, falling by around 30 per cent,” Mr Jarvis said.
| Share of total payroll jobs at mid-March 2020 (%) | Change between mid-March 2020 and 2023 (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and recreation services | 1.6 | 19.3 |
| Mining | 1.7 | 18.8 |
| Health care and social assistance | 14.3 | 17.6 |
| Information media and telecommunications | 1.4 | 14.0 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 1.0 | 14.0 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 8.1 | 13.1 |
| Administrative and support services | 6.4 | 12.6 |
| Financial and insurance services | 3.8 | 12.4 |
| Construction | 6.8 | 9.1 |
| Public administration and safety | 6.7 | 9.0 |
| Other services | 3.3 | 9.0 |
| Retail trade | 9.9 | 8.7 |
| Education and training | 9.2 | 7.1 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 1.3 | 5.6 |
| Accommodation and food services | 7.1 | 4.2 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 2.0 | 2.5 |
| Wholesale trade | 4.5 | 1.5 |
| Manufacturing | 6.7 | -0.3 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 4.0 | -0.9 |
Mid-March represents the weeks ending 14 March 2020 and 11 March 2023.
