Victoria leads payroll decline

By Cameron Micallef

June 23 2021
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Victorian employees have seen the largest reduction in take-home pay as the state battled a COVID-19 outbreak, official figures have revealed.

Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed that Victoria’s payroll data declined by 2.1 per cent over the fortnight ending 5 June 2021.

This is compared with national payroll falling by 0.9 per cent in the fortnight, off the back of a 0.4 per cent increase in the previous two weeks.

Bjorn Jarvis, head of labour statistics at the ABS, said the latest fortnight of data partly overlapped with the first nine days of the lockdown in Victoria.

“Almost every industry in Victoria saw a fall in payroll jobs during this period, with the largest falls seen in the accommodation and food services, and arts and recreation services industries,” he said.

The stats showed that accommodation and food services were the most heavily impacted by the lockdown, with payroll data falling by 10.2 in Victoria, and the arts and recreation services industry’s workers seeing an 8 per cent reduction in pay.

“Each lockdown sees falls in accommodation and food services payroll jobs, reflecting the impact that restrictions have on this industry,” Mr Jarvis continued.

Mr Jarvis said that while the state experiencing a lockdown will see the largest reduction in payroll, it has a flow-on impact on the rest of the country.

“Payroll jobs in the industry fell in almost every state and territory across the fortnight,” he said.

“While the fall in payroll jobs is generally greatest in the state or territory of the lockdown, restrictions that affect interstate travel may also contribute to falls in payroll jobs in the accommodation and food services industry in other states and territories.”

The national figures showed that only the Northern Territory gained on payroll jobs over the last fortnight, increasing by 0.3 per cent.

As it currently stands, the Northern Territory is now the only state or territory where payroll jobs in the industry were above pre-pandemic levels.

About the author

Cameron Micallef

Cameron is a journalist for Momentum Media's nestegg and Smart Property Investment. He enjoys giving Aussies practical financial tips and tricks to help grow their wealth and achieve financial independence. As a self-confessed finance nerd, Cameron enjoys chatting with industry experts and commentators to leverage their insights to grow your portfolio.

About the author

Cameron Micallef

Cameron is a journalist for Momentum Media's nestegg and Smart Property Investment. He enjoys giving Aussies practical financial tips and tricks to help grow their wealth and achieve financial independence. As a self-confessed finance nerd, Cameron enjoys chatting with industry experts and commentators to leverage their insights to grow your portfolio.

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