Gradual recovery in payroll jobs continues

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today show total payroll jobs increased 1.0 per cent between mid-May and mid-June.

Head of Labour Statistics at the ABS, Bjorn Jarvis, said: “This continued the gradual recovery in payroll jobs since mid-April (when total job losses were 8.8 per cent). However, payroll jobs are still 6.4 per cent below mid-March, when Australia recorded its 100th confirmed case of COVID-19.”

“The recovery in payroll jobs between mid-April and mid-June represents around 30 per cent of the jobs initially lost,” Mr Jarvis said.

“Between mid-May and mid-June, the easing of restrictions saw payroll jobs increasing faster for the under 20s, up by 4.1 per cent.”

“Payroll jobs in the Accommodation and food services industry recovered by more than other impacted industries between mid-May and mid-June (3.8 per cent), but remained 28.6 per cent lower than in mid-March.”

“Western Australia (2.3 per cent) had the largest increases in jobs between mid-May and mid-June, and their total payroll job losses since mid-March were also the lowest, at 4.4 per cent.”

Graph 1: Payroll jobs from 7 March 2020 to 13 June 2020 (a)

/ABS Public Release. View in full here.