Payroll jobs fell 0.6 per cent in the month to 13 April 2024, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Bjorn Jarvis, ABS head of labour statistics, said: "The fall in payroll jobs to mid-April followed the usual seasonal pattern around the Easter holiday period.
"While this seasonal fall around Easter was similar to what we've seen in previous years, we continue to see slower annual growth in 2023-24 than in 2022-23 when the labour market was particularly tight.
"Comparing between Easters, payroll jobs grew by 2.2 per cent from Easter 2023 to Easter 2024, down from a growth rate of 6.0 per cent between Easter 2022 and 2023," Mr Jarvis said.
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 92.7 | 96.1 | 99.8 | 105.7 | 107.9 | |
| 95.2 | 97.4 | 100.4 | 106 | 107.6 | |
| Mid-Jan | 96.7 | 99.5 | 102.7 | 108.5 | 110 |
| 97.5 | 100.5 | 104.2 | 109.9 | 112.4 | |
| 98.1 | 101.1 | 105 | 110.7 | 113.4 | |
| 98.7 | 101.6 | 105.6 | 111.6 | 114.4 | |
| 99.2 | 102.3 | 106.1 | 112.1 | 115.3 | |
| 99.5 | 102.6 | 105.9 | 112.7 | 115.7 | |
| 99.5 | 103.1 | 105.8 | 113.2 | 115.8 | |
| 99.9 | 103.3 | 106.1 | 113.5 | 116 | |
| 100 | 103.7 | 107.1 | 113.8 | 116.1 | |
| 99.1 | 103.8 | 107.5 | 113.9 | 116.3 | |
| 95.6 | 103.7 | 107.5 | 114.1 | 116.3 | |
| 93.1 | 102.8 | 107.3 | 113.9 | 115.8 | |
| 91.7 | 102.5 | 107.6 | 113.3 | 115.5 | |
| Mid-Apr | 91.7 | 102.7 | 106.9 | 113 | 115.5 |
| 92.3 | 103 | 106.6 | 113.3 | ||
| 92.8 | 103.3 | 107.1 | 113.7 | ||
| 93.5 | 103.7 | 107.6 | 114 | ||
| 94.2 | 104 | 107.9 | 114.4 | ||
| 94.5 | 104.2 | 108.2 | 114.4 | ||
| 94.9 | 103.9 | 108.4 | 114.4 | ||
| 95.7 | 103.5 | 108.4 | 114.4 | ||
| 96.2 | 103.7 | 108.8 | 114.5 | ||
| 96.3 | 103.8 | 109.3 | 114.8 | ||
| 96.3 | 103.5 | 109.7 | 114.6 | ||
| 97.5 | 103.6 | 110.1 | 114.2 | ||
| 98.6 | 104.4 | 111.1 | 114.8 | ||
| Mid-Jul | 98.7 | 104.1 | 111.1 | 114.7 | |
| 98.9 | 102.9 | 111.2 | 114.9 | ||
| 99.1 | 103.1 | 111.6 | 115.1 | ||
| 99.2 | 102.9 | 111.7 | 115.3 | ||
| 99.1 | 102.8 | 112.1 | 115.6 | ||
| 99.2 | 102.1 | 112.2 | 115.8 | ||
| 99.3 | 101.6 | 112.5 | 115.8 | ||
| 99.6 | 101.7 | 112.4 | 115.5 | ||
| 100 | 102.3 | 112.6 | 115.7 | ||
| 100.2 | 102.7 | 112.7 | 115.9 | ||
| 100 | 102.5 | 112.3 | 115.7 | ||
| 99.3 | 102.2 | 111.9 | 115.2 | ||
| 99.5 | 102.6 | 112.1 | 115.3 | ||
| Mid-Oct | 100.4 | 104.3 | 112.7 | 116.2 | |
| 100.7 | 105.5 | 113.1 | 116.5 | ||
| 100.9 | 106.4 | 113.1 | 116.1 | ||
| 101.3 | 106.9 | 113.3 | 116.1 | ||
| 102.1 | 107.4 | 113.8 | 116.4 | ||
| 102.4 | 107.9 | 114.1 | 116.5 | ||
| 102.8 | 108.2 | 114.4 | 116.7 | ||
| 103.3 | 108.7 | 114.7 | 116.6 | ||
| 103.4 | 108.5 | 114.5 | 116.5 | ||
| 102.6 | 107.7 | 113.8 | 115.7 | ||
| 98.8 | 104 | 110.5 | 112.8 |
Indexed to the week ending 14 March 2020.
Mid-Jan represents the week ending 16 January 2021, 15 January 2022, 14 January 2023 and 13 January 2024
Mid-Apr represents the week ending 17 April 2021, 16 April 2022, 15 April 2023 and 13 April 2024.
Mid-Jul represents the week ending 18 July 2020, 17 July 2021, 16 July 2022 and 15 July 2023.
Mid-Oct represents the week ending 17 October 2020, 16 October 2021, 15 October 2022 and 14 October 2023.
The timing of Easter and school holidays changes each year and should be considered when comparing seasonal changes in weekly figures for March and April across years.
In 2024, Easter fell a week earlier than in 2023 and two weeks earlier than in 2022. There were also some differences in the timing of school holidays for some states and territories.
A seasonal fall in payroll jobs around Easter was seen in all industries except for Mining. Administrative and support services, Other services, Accommodation and food services, Wholesale trade and Education and training had the largest share of the fall in payroll jobs this month.
| Administrative & support services (%) | Other services (%) | Accommodation & food services (%) | Wholesale trade (%) | Education & training (%) | Remaining industries (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16.1 | 14.5 | 12.9 | 9.3 | 7.9 | 39.3 |
Industries grouped into 'Remaining industries' exclude Mining, which rose over the month.
Payroll jobs fell between mid-March and mid-April in all states and territories except for South Australia, which had its school holidays in the second half of April. The largest percentage falls were in Victoria (-0.9 per cent), New South Wales (-0.7 per cent), and Queensland (-0.7 per cent).
The timing of school holidays varied across the states and territories, with Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia completing their Autumn break by the week ending 13 April 2024, and others starting their breaks later.
The seasonal effects associated with school holidays later in April will be seen in next month's release.
