Payroll jobs fell by 0.5 per cent in the fortnight to 8 May 2021, following a 0.2 per cent rise in the previous fortnight, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.
Bjorn Jarvis, head of Labour Statistics at the ABS, said: "In early May, payroll jobs were 1.5 per cent above pre-pandemic levels and 1.5 per cent lower than the end of March 2021.
The end of JobKeeper, seasonality in the labour market around Easter and short-term restrictions in some states may influence payroll job levels in the weeks between the end of March and 8 May 2021."
Across the states and territories, payroll jobs also remain above pre-pandemic levels, ranging from 4.4 per cent above in the Northern Territory to 0.7 per cent above in Queensland.
Changes in payroll jobs continued to vary by industry.
Mr Jarvis said, "Since the end of March 2021, there were increases in payroll jobs for two of the five largest employing industries; Education and training and Retail trade (up 0.9 per cent and 0.4 per cent).
"There were decreases across the three other large employing industries; Accommodation and food services, Professional, scientific and technical services and Health care and social services (down 3.8 per cent, 2.8 per cent and 2.0 per cent)."
| Between 27 March and 8 May 2021 (%) | |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | -2.0 |
| Retail trade | 0.4 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | -2.8 |
| Education and training | 0.9 |
| Accommodation and food services | -3.8 |
Industries ranked by descending proportion of total payroll jobs. These industries represented 48 per cent of total payroll jobs on 14 March 2020.
The ABS acknowledges the continued support from the Australian Taxation Office in enabling the ABS to produce these statistics providing weekly insights into the Australian labour market.
