News Articles for Australian Bureau of Statistics

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has just released its latest survey on the household impacts of COVID-19 in February 2022, and the findings suggest that Australia's labour markets are still a long way from recovery.

The March ANZ job advertisement series is likely to point to a further decline in the jobless rate and quicker than being predicted by the RBA and Treasury.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says there were 423,500 job vacancies in February, around 200,000 more than was seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Retail sales took a battering in Western Australia in February, down 2.9 per cent.

Repeated government promises to help households facing financial pressures have failed to lift confidence or tame inflation fears.

The National Skills Commission says job advertisements on the internet rose by a further 3.6 per cent in February.

Western Australia's dwelling approvals have dropped by 20 per cent in January, with the national figure falling 28 per cent.

WA's internal economy grew just 0.1 per cent in the December quarter as spending on mining equipment slowed, while national GDP rose 3.4 per cent.

WA appears set for a political makeover at the next federal election, with tax reform, integrity measures and action on climate change confronting whichever party forms government.

Consumer confidence dropped 2.6 per cent in the past week as the war in Ukraine began and storms battered Australia's east coast.

Retail spending in Western Australia jumped 4.7 per cent month-on-month in January, while interstate consumers showed some caution.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison won't freeze fuel excise, even as global oil prices near $US100 per barrel with Russia and Ukraine on the brink of all-out war.

Annual wages grew 2.3 per cent as of the December quarter, the highest since mid-2019, but still lagged well behind the rate of inflation at 3.5 per cent.

The impact of January's Omicron case surge on the labour force has been laid bare, with hours worked dropping almost 9 per cent, while unemployment remains at a 13-year low.

Australia's construction industry suffered a slump over December and January due to the impact of the Omicron variant, continuing the sector's volatile run over the past six months.

Retail sales fell 3.5 per cent in Western Australia in December, amid a soft month across the nation as Omicron hit.

Putting aside inevitable COVID-19 wildcards, all indicators point to the Western Australian labour market leading the country in 2022.

Preserving the state's mineral wealth will be of paramount importance in the months ahead.

Perth has posted its highest inflation rate in 20 years, at 5.7 per cent in 2021, as national prices lifted 3.5 per cent.

Economists are still confident of a further drop in the unemployment rate and a relatively solid rise in employment when the December labour force figures are released on Thursday.

Investor lending in WA has risen 95 per cent in the 12 months to November 2021.

Retail sales soared by 7.3 per cent in November after last year's easing of COVID-19 restrictions, but there are signs the subsequent emergence of the Omicron variant has since curbed spending.

WA shows a 1.1 per cent drop in dwelling approvals, while nationally there was a 3.6 per cent rise.

Recent state final demand data shows that Western Australia's domestic economy grew by 0.6 per cent in the September quarter.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says the value of the nation's housing stock surpassed $9 trillion for the first time in the September quarter.

Targeted action plans providing more tailored support will form the centrepiece of the government's new plan to help people with disability.

Rising consumer spending has helped Western Australia's domestic economy grow 0.6 per cent in the September quarter, while the national economy shrank 1.8 per cent.

Dwelling approvals in WA dropped by 3 per cent in October, stabilising from a 21 per cent drop the previous month, Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows.

Recent transactions show investors are coming back to WA after a significant drop.

Australian company profits rose four per cent in the September quarter despite the nation being in the thick of a series of COVID-19 restrictions, which saw half the population in lockdown.

Retail spending rose 4.9 per cent in October as COVID-19 restrictions eased across the country however WA only reported a 0.2 per cent increase in sales.

Wages lifted 0.8 per cent in the three months to September in Western Australia, slightly more than the national increase.

Wages growth in Australia has returned to its pre-coronavirus pandemic level, but it is still way short of what the Reserve Bank wants to see.

Australian inflation grew by 0.8 per cent in the September quarter, largely driven by the rising cost of new homes and fuel.

Western Australia is in better economic shape than any other state as it navigates the challenges of the pandemic.

Payroll jobs dropped further by mid-September as coronavirus lockdowns continued to bite, and now stand below their pre-pandemic level.

Job advertisements in Western Australia were up 1 per cent in August, while vacancies on the east coast fell sharply.

Growth in Western Australia's domestic economy was the second lowest nationally in the June quarter, but state final demand was still 12 per cent larger than June quarter 2020.

Australia's gold production in the past six months has exceeded China's figures, according to a Melbourne consultancy.

Retail turnover has taken its largest dive for the year, falling 2.7 per cent in July.