Monthly Employee Earnings Indicator

Latest release

Experimental estimates of employee earnings, sourced from Single Touch Payroll (STP) data

Reference period

March 2025

Released

21/05/2025

Key statistics

In March 2025, total wages and salaries paid by employers:

increased to $104,805 million
increased by 0.9% or $971 million in the month from February 2025
increased by 5.8% or $5,772 million in the year from March 2024

As a measure of aggregate earnings, estimates presented in this release include compositional changes in the labour market, which are described in more detail in Factors affecting interpretation.

State and territory by sector estimates

Data download tables now include estimates of total wages and salaries paid by employers by state and territory by sector.

National

Total wages and salaries paid by employers, month key statistics (a)
	Oct-24	Nov-24	Dec-24	Jan-25	Feb-25	Mar-25
Month change (%)	-3.3	2.3	-0.7	-3.2	5.7	0.9
Annual change (%)	5.8	5.4	5.5	6.3	7.2	5.8
Total wages and salaries ($m)	99,855	102,193	101,445	98,231	103,834	104,805

a. The leap year day in February 2024 alters the comparability of annual change in February 2024 and 2025. For more information see the leap year effect section within Factors affecting interpretation.

Estimates are presented as an original series with calendar-adjustment, to account for the differing number of days in each month, as seasonally adjusted estimates are not yet available.

Estimates of change throughout this release are calculated using un-rounded $ million values. They may differ from, though are more accurate than change calculated from rounded values.

Total wages and salaries paid by employers (a)
	2022-23 ($m)	2023-24 ($m)	2024-25 ($m)
Jul	85,849	91,994	97,965
Aug	87,324	93,798	99,481
Sep	90,559	97,275	103,240
Oct	87,579	94,405	99,855
Nov	89,770	96,917	102,193
Dec	89,655	96,131	101,445
Jan	86,353	92,436	98,231
Feb	91,515	96,828	103,834
Mar	92,534	99,033	104,805
Apr	91,296	97,590
May	90,982	96,775
Jun	92,558	98,084

Total wages and salaries paid by employers (a)

["","2022-23","2023-24","2024-25"]

[["Jul","Aug","Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec","Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun"],[[85849],[87324],[90559],[87579],[89770],[89655],[86353],[91515],[92534],[91296],[90982],[92558]],[[91994],[93798],[97275],[94405],[96917],[96131],[92436],[96828],[99033],[97590],[96775],[98084]],[[97965],[99481],[103240],[99855],[102193],[101445],[98231],[103834],[104805],[null],[null],[null]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"$million","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"($m)","table_units":"($m)","axis_min":"80000","axis_max":"110000","tick_interval":null,"precision":"0","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

a. The leap year day in February 2024 alters the seasonal change usually seen in February and March. For more information see the leap year effect section within Factors affecting interpretation.

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers (a)
	2022-23 (%)	2023-24 (%)	2024-25 (%)
Jul	na	-0.6	-0.1
Aug	1.7	2.0	1.5
Sep	3.7	3.7	3.8
Oct	-3.3	-3.0	-3.3
Nov	2.5	2.7	2.3
Dec	-0.1	-0.8	-0.7
Jan	-3.7	-3.8	-3.2
Feb	6.0	4.8	5.7
Mar	1.1	2.3	0.9
Apr	-1.3	-1.5
May	-0.3	-0.8
Jun	1.7	1.4

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers (a)

[" ","2022-23","2023-24","2024-25"]

[["Jul","Aug","Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec","Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun"],[[null],[1.7],[3.7000000000000002],[-3.2999999999999998],[2.5],[-0.10000000000000001],[-3.7000000000000002],[6],[1.1000000000000001],[-1.3],[-0.29999999999999999],[1.7]],[[-0.59999999999999998],[2],[3.7000000000000002],[-3],[2.7000000000000002],[-0.80000000000000004],[-3.7999999999999998],[4.7999999999999998],[2.2999999999999998],[-1.5],[-0.80000000000000004],[1.3999999999999999]],[[-0.10000000000000001],[1.5],[3.7999999999999998],[-3.2999999999999998],[2.2999999999999998],[-0.69999999999999996],[-3.2000000000000002],[5.7000000000000002],[0.90000000000000002],[null],[null],[null]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"-4","axis_max":"7","tick_interval":"1","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

a. The leap year day in February 2024 alters the seasonal change usually seen in February and March. For more information see the leap year effect section within Factors affecting interpretation.

Quarter change

Total wages and salaries paid by employers, quarter key statistics
	Mar Qtr 24	Jun Qtr 24	Sep Qtr 24	Dec Qtr 24	Mar Qtr 25
Quarter change (%)	0.3	1.4	2.8	0.9	1.1
Annual quarter change (%)	6.6	6.4	6.2	5.6	6.4
Total wages and salaries ($m)	288,297	292,449	300,685	303,493	306,870

Quarter change in total wages and salaries paid by employers
	2022-23 (%)	2023-24 (%)	2024-25 (%)
Sep Qtr	na	3.0	2.8
Dec Qtr	1.2	1.5	0.9
Mar Qtr	1.3	0.3	1.1
Jun Qtr	1.6	1.4

State and territory

In March 2025, total wages and salaries paid by employers increased in all states and territories from February 2025.

Western Australia saw the largest increase of $374m (+3.0%)

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by state and territory (a)
	Mar-23 (%)	Mar-24 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
New South Wales	0.4	1.8	0.7
Victoria	0.9	2.0	0.4
Queensland	1.2	2.2	0.4
South Australia	2.1	2.4	1.3
Western Australia	3.0	3.9	3.0
Tasmania	1.6	3.3	1.9
Northern Territory	2.1	3.6	2.7
Australian Capital Territory	0.3	2.3	1.1

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by state and territory (a)

[" ","Mar-23","Mar-24","Mar-25"]

[["New South Wales             ","Victoria                    ","Queensland                  ","South Australia             ","Western Australia           ","Tasmania                    ","Northern Territory          ","Australian Capital Territory"],[[0.40000000000000002],[0.90000000000000002],[1.2],[2.1000000000000001],[3],[1.6000000000000001],[2.1000000000000001],[0.29999999999999999]],[[1.8],[2],[2.2000000000000002],[2.3999999999999999],[3.8999999999999999],[3.2999999999999998],[3.6000000000000001],[2.2999999999999998]],[[0.69999999999999996],[0.40000000000000002],[0.40000000000000002],[1.3],[3],[1.8999999999999999],[2.7000000000000002],[1.1000000000000001]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"4","tick_interval":"1","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

a. The leap year day in February 2024 alters the seasonal change usually seen in February and March. For more information see the leap year effect section within Factors affecting interpretation.

Month change, February

In February 2025, total wages and salaries paid by employers increased in all states and territories from January 2025.

New South Wales saw the largest increase of 6.4% (+$2,058m)

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by state and territory (a)
	Feb-23 (%)	Feb-24 (%)	Feb-25 (%)
New South Wales	7.6	5.5	6.4
Victoria	6.2	4.7	6.1
Queensland	4.9	4.1	5.0
South Australia	3.5	3.8	4.8
Western Australia	4.8	4.9	5.7
Tasmania	3.7	2.3	3.0
Northern Territory	4.1	1.6	2.7
Australian Capital Territory	4.4	3.9	3.4

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by state and territory (a)

[" ","Feb-23","Feb-24","Feb-25"]

[["New South Wales             ","Victoria                    ","Queensland                  ","South Australia             ","Western Australia           ","Tasmania                    ","Northern Territory          ","Australian Capital Territory"],[[7.5999999999999996],[6.2000000000000002],[4.9000000000000004],[3.5],[4.7999999999999998],[3.7000000000000002],[4.0999999999999996],[4.4000000000000004]],[[5.5],[4.7000000000000002],[4.0999999999999996],[3.7999999999999998],[4.9000000000000004],[2.2999999999999998],[1.6000000000000001],[3.8999999999999999]],[[6.4000000000000004],[6.0999999999999996],[5],[4.7999999999999998],[5.7000000000000002],[3],[2.7000000000000002],[3.3999999999999999]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"8","tick_interval":"1","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

a. The leap year day in February 2024 alters the seasonal change usually seen in February and March. For more information see the leap year effect section within Factors affecting interpretation.

Month change, January

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by state and territory
	Jan-23 (%)	Jan-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)
New South Wales	-4.2	-4.2	-3.8
Victoria	-5.4	-4.6	-4.1
Queensland	-3.1	-3.7	-2.3
South Australia	-2.9	-3.0	-2.1
Western Australia	-0.5	-3.0	-2.0
Tasmania	-2.6	-1.2	-2.8
Northern Territory	-0.9	-2.0	-0.7
Australian Capital Territory	-2.5	-1.2	-1.2

Month change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by state and territory
	Oct-24 (%)	Nov-24 (%)	Dec-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)	Feb-25 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
New South Wales	-4.0	3.2	-0.4	-3.8	6.4	0.7
Victoria	-3.6	2.8	-0.7	-4.1	6.1	0.4
Queensland	-2.9	1.5	-1.3	-2.3	5.0	0.4
South Australia	-2.4	1.4	-0.8	-2.1	4.8	1.3
Western Australia	-2.5	1.5	-1.1	-2.0	5.7	3.0
Tasmania	-1.3	1.4	1.8	-2.8	3.0	1.9
Northern Territory	-0.4	1.1	-2.0	-0.7	2.7	2.7
Australian Capital Territory	-1.4	0.7	-1.6	-1.2	3.4	1.1
Australia	-3.3	2.3	-0.7	-3.2	5.7	0.9

Annual change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Annual change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by state and territory (a)
	Oct-24 (%)	Nov-24 (%)	Dec-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)	Feb-25 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
New South Wales	4.7	5.3	5.0	5.4	6.3	5.1
Victoria	4.7	4.7	4.8	5.3	6.6	5.0
Queensland	7.8	6.1	6.6	8.2	9.0	7.1
South Australia	6.0	4.7	5.3	6.3	7.4	6.3
Western Australia	8.3	6.8	6.7	7.8	8.7	7.8
Tasmania	6.4	5.3	6.2	4.6	5.3	3.9
Northern Territory	6.2	5.6	6.3	7.7	8.9	7.9
Australian Capital Territory	3.2	5.1	6.3	6.4	5.8	4.6
Australia	5.8	5.4	5.5	6.3	7.2	5.8

Total wages and salaries ($m), Oct-24 to Mar-25

Total wages and salaries paid by employers, by state and territory
	Oct-24 ($m)	Nov-24 ($m)	Dec-24 ($m)	Jan-25 ($m)	Feb-25 ($m)	Mar-25 ($m)
New South Wales	32,433	33,476	33,352	32,081	34,138	34,376
Victoria	24,852	25,541	25,374	24,332	25,817	25,923
Queensland	19,226	19,516	19,270	18,826	19,761	19,842
South Australia	5,805	5,887	5,842	5,718	5,995	6,076
Western Australia	11,942	12,121	11,989	11,746	12,419	12,794
Tasmania	1,691	1,715	1,747	1,698	1,750	1,783
Northern Territory	1,027	1,039	1,018	1,011	1,039	1,067
Australian Capital Territory	2,879	2,899	2,853	2,820	2,914	2,945
Australia	99,855	102,193	101,445	98,231	103,834	104,805

Industry

In March 2025, total wages and salaries paid by employers increased in 11 of 19 industries from February 2025.

Mining saw the largest increase of 8.3% (+$318m)
Professional, scientific and technical services saw the largest decrease of 1.9% (-$215m)

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by industry (a)(b)
	Mar-23 (%)	Mar-24 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
Mining	7.1	10.5	8.3
Wholesale trade	4.1	4.7	4.5
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	0.9	5.8	3.9
Financial and insurance services	2.0	5.2	3.2
Education and training	2.5	2.6	2.7
Manufacturing	3.6	3.5	2.5
Health care and social assistance	1.8	3.7	1.1
Public administration and safety	0.1	1.6	0.6
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	1.0	1.0	0.4
Retail trade	0.2	2.3	0.4
Other services	1.0	0.6	0.2
Accommodation and food services	1.9	3.0	-0.2
Administrative and support services	-0.1	-0.5	-0.3
Rental, hiring and real estate services	0.6	0.4	-0.3
Transport, postal and warehousing	-1.0	0.9	-0.5
Arts and recreation services	1.5	1.5	-0.7
Construction	-0.5	-0.8	-1.4
Information media and telecommunications	-1.7	-1.1	-1.8
Professional, scientific and technical services	-1.4	0.1	-1.9

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by industry (a)(b)

["","Mar-23","Mar-24","Mar-25"]

[["Mining","Wholesale trade","Electricity, gas, water and waste services     ","Financial and insurance services","Education and training","Manufacturing","Health care and social assistance","Public administration and safety","Agriculture, forestry and fishing              ","Retail trade","Other services","Accommodation and food services","Administrative and support services","Rental, hiring and real estate services        ","Transport, postal and warehousing              ","Arts and recreation services","Construction","Information media and telecommunications","Professional, scientific and technical services"],[[7.0999999999999996],[4.0999999999999996],[0.90000000000000002],[2],[2.5],[3.6000000000000001],[1.8],[0.10000000000000001],[1],[0.20000000000000001],[1],[1.8999999999999999],[-0.10000000000000001],[0.59999999999999998],[-1],[1.5],[-0.5],[-1.7],[-1.3999999999999999]],[[10.5],[4.7000000000000002],[5.7999999999999998],[5.2000000000000002],[2.6000000000000001],[3.5],[3.7000000000000002],[1.6000000000000001],[1],[2.2999999999999998],[0.59999999999999998],[3],[-0.5],[0.40000000000000002],[0.90000000000000002],[1.5],[-0.80000000000000004],[-1.1000000000000001],[0.10000000000000001]],[[8.3000000000000007],[4.5],[3.8999999999999999],[3.2000000000000002],[2.7000000000000002],[2.5],[1.1000000000000001],[0.59999999999999998],[0.40000000000000002],[0.40000000000000002],[0.20000000000000001],[-0.20000000000000001],[-0.29999999999999999],[-0.29999999999999999],[-0.5],[-0.69999999999999996],[-1.3999999999999999],[-1.8],[-1.8999999999999999]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"-3","axis_max":"12","tick_interval":"3","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

a. Industries are ranked by descending month change in March 2025.

b. The leap year day in February 2024 alters the seasonal change usually seen in February and March. For more information see the leap year effect section within Factors affecting interpretation.

Month change, February

In February 2025, total wages and salaries paid by employers increased in all industries from January 2025.

Mining saw the largest proportional increase of 12.3% (+$420m)
Professional, scientific and technical services saw the largest level increase of $931m (+8.9%)

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by industry (a) (b)
	Feb-23 (%)	Feb-24 (%)	Feb-25 (%)
Mining	11.8	10.5	12.3
Construction	10.5	8.8	9.9
Information media and telecommunications	11.9	9.6	9.6
Administrative and support services	11.0	8.3	9.6
Financial and insurance services	11.1	7.0	9.0
Professional, scientific and technical services	8.2	7.0	8.9
Wholesale trade	9.6	7.3	8.0
Education and training	7.3	8.4	7.4
Manufacturing	8.1	6.3	7.0
Rental, hiring and real estate services	7.0	5.9	6.9
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	5.7	3.7	6.7
Transport, postal and warehousing	6.2	4.5	4.3
Other services	4.4	3.3	4.2
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	2.8	-1.3	3.2
Arts and recreation services	3.2	1.7	3.1
Health care and social assistance	0.6	0.3	1.3
Retail trade	0.4	0.0	1.3
Accommodation and food services	-0.7	-4.2	0.4
Public administration and safety	-0.1	1.2	0.1

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by industry (a) (b)

["","Feb-23","Feb-24","Feb-25"]

[["Mining","Construction","Information media and telecommunications","Administrative and support services","Financial and insurance services","Professional, scientific and technical services","Wholesale trade","Education and training","Manufacturing","Rental, hiring and real estate services        ","Electricity, gas, water and waste services     ","Transport, postal and warehousing              ","Other services","Agriculture, forestry and fishing              ","Arts and recreation services","Health care and social assistance","Retail trade","Accommodation and food services","Public administration and safety"],[[11.800000000000001],[10.5],[11.9],[11],[11.1],[8.1999999999999993],[9.5999999999999996],[7.2999999999999998],[8.0999999999999996],[7],[5.7000000000000002],[6.2000000000000002],[4.4000000000000004],[2.7999999999999998],[3.2000000000000002],[0.59999999999999998],[0.40000000000000002],[-0.69999999999999996],[-0.10000000000000001]],[[10.5],[8.8000000000000007],[9.5999999999999996],[8.3000000000000007],[7],[7],[7.2999999999999998],[8.4000000000000004],[6.2999999999999998],[5.9000000000000004],[3.7000000000000002],[4.5],[3.2999999999999998],[-1.3],[1.7],[0.29999999999999999],[0],[-4.2000000000000002],[1.2]],[[12.300000000000001],[9.9000000000000004],[9.5999999999999996],[9.5999999999999996],[9],[8.9000000000000004],[8],[7.4000000000000004],[7],[6.9000000000000004],[6.7000000000000002],[4.2999999999999998],[4.2000000000000002],[3.2000000000000002],[3.1000000000000001],[1.3],[1.3],[0.40000000000000002],[0.10000000000000001]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"-5","axis_max":"15","tick_interval":"5","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

a. Industries are ranked by descending month change in February 2025.

b. The leap year day in February 2024 alters the seasonal change usually seen in February and March. For more information see the leap year effect section within Factors affecting interpretation.

Month change, January

In January 2025, total wages and salaries paid by employers decreased in 18 of 19 industries from December 2024.

Education and training saw the largest decrease of 11.1% (-$890m)
Information media and telecommunications saw the only increase of 1.9% (+$38m)

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by industry (a)
	Jan-23 (%)	Jan-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)
Information media and telecommunications	-1.3	-0.3	1.9
Health care and social assistance	-0.6	-0.2	-0.4
Mining	1.6	-1.1	-0.8
Administrative and support services	-4.0	-3.4	-1.0
Public administration and safety	-0.1	-0.8	-1.0
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	-2.2	-1.5	-1.8
Other services	-2.8	-2.6	-2.3
Accommodation and food services	-1.6	-2.9	-2.4
Wholesale trade	-4.6	-4.6	-2.9
Transport, postal and warehousing	-4.1	-4.1	-2.9
Professional, scientific and technical services	-3.7	-4.0	-3.2
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	-7.7	-5.0	-3.2
Construction	-3.9	-4.4	-3.2
Rental, hiring and real estate services	-3.6	-4.4	-3.7
Arts and recreation services	-3.5	-4.0	-3.9
Manufacturing	-5.0	-4.7	-4.1
Retail trade	-3.9	-4.2	-4.5
Financial and insurance services	-9.0	-7.6	-6.4
Education and training	-9.9	-11.6	-11.1

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by industry (a)

["","Jan-23","Jan-24","Jan-25"]

[["Information media and telecommunications","Health care and social assistance","Mining","Administrative and support services","Public administration and safety","Electricity, gas, water and waste services     ","Other services","Accommodation and food services","Wholesale trade","Transport, postal and warehousing              ","Professional, scientific and technical services","Agriculture, forestry and fishing              ","Construction","Rental, hiring and real estate services        ","Arts and recreation services","Manufacturing","Retail trade","Financial and insurance services","Education and training"],[[-1.3],[-0.59999999999999998],[1.6000000000000001],[-4],[-0.10000000000000001],[-2.2000000000000002],[-2.7999999999999998],[-1.6000000000000001],[-4.5999999999999996],[-4.0999999999999996],[-3.7000000000000002],[-7.7000000000000002],[-3.8999999999999999],[-3.6000000000000001],[-3.5],[-5],[-3.8999999999999999],[-9],[-9.9000000000000004]],[[-0.29999999999999999],[-0.20000000000000001],[-1.1000000000000001],[-3.3999999999999999],[-0.80000000000000004],[-1.5],[-2.6000000000000001],[-2.8999999999999999],[-4.5999999999999996],[-4.0999999999999996],[-4],[-5],[-4.4000000000000004],[-4.4000000000000004],[-4],[-4.7000000000000002],[-4.2000000000000002],[-7.5999999999999996],[-11.6]],[[1.8999999999999999],[-0.40000000000000002],[-0.80000000000000004],[-1],[-1],[-1.8],[-2.2999999999999998],[-2.3999999999999999],[-2.8999999999999999],[-2.8999999999999999],[-3.2000000000000002],[-3.2000000000000002],[-3.2000000000000002],[-3.7000000000000002],[-3.8999999999999999],[-4.0999999999999996],[-4.5],[-6.4000000000000004],[-11.1]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"-12","axis_max":"2","tick_interval":"2","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

a. Industries are ranked by descending month change in January 2025.

Month change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by industry (a)
	Oct-24 (%)	Nov-24 (%)	Dec-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)	Feb-25 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	3.2	3.5	-4.2	-3.2	3.2	0.4
Mining	-12.2	0.9	1.2	-0.8	12.3	8.3
Manufacturing	-3.3	1.9	-0.3	-4.1	7.0	2.5
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	-6.6	-1.2	0.7	-1.8	6.7	3.9
Construction	-0.7	1.1	-4.2	-3.2	9.9	-1.4
Wholesale trade	-2.4	2.0	0.0	-2.9	8.0	4.5
Retail trade	-6.4	2.9	2.0	-4.5	1.3	0.4
Accommodation and food services	-1.7	1.9	1.3	-2.4	0.4	-0.2
Transport, postal and warehousing	-1.4	0.1	-0.3	-2.9	4.3	-0.5
Information media and telecommunications	-18.9	5.3	-4.4	1.9	9.6	-1.8
Financial and insurance services	-12.6	5.3	1.6	-6.4	9.0	3.2
Rental, hiring and real estate services	-4.2	1.7	-0.6	-3.7	6.9	-0.3
Professional, scientific and technical services	-2.2	2.0	-1.2	-3.2	8.9	-1.9
Administrative and support services	-2.0	2.0	-7.1	-1.0	9.6	-0.3
Public administration and safety	-1.7	1.9	1.6	-1.0	0.1	0.6
Education and training	-0.5	6.1	-1.7	-11.1	7.4	2.7
Health care and social assistance	0.1	2.1	0.6	-0.4	1.3	1.1
Arts and recreation services	-0.5	1.0	0.8	-3.9	3.1	-0.7
Other services	-1.3	1.4	-1.0	-2.3	4.2	0.2
All industries	-3.3	2.3	-0.7	-3.2	5.7	0.9

Annual change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Annual change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by industry (a) (b)
	Oct-24 (%)	Nov-24 (%)	Dec-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)	Feb-25 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	5.0	4.9	4.2	6.2	11.1	10.4
Mining	4.3	4.9	3.8	4.1	5.8	3.7
Manufacturing	4.5	3.6	3.3	4.0	4.6	3.7
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	12.7	12.4	11.1	10.8	14.0	11.9
Construction	7.3	6.3	5.5	6.8	7.8	7.1
Wholesale trade	4.5	3.7	3.7	5.5	6.1	5.9
Retail trade	4.4	4.5	4.7	4.4	5.7	3.7
Accommodation and food services	3.4	3.8	4.0	4.5	9.6	6.2
Transport, postal and warehousing	7.8	6.2	5.5	6.8	6.6	5.1
Information media and telecommunications	3.1	4.1	3.5	5.9	5.9	5.2
Financial and insurance services	5.1	4.4	4.1	5.4	7.4	5.3
Rental, hiring and real estate services	3.7	3.5	2.9	3.6	4.5	3.8
Professional, scientific and technical services	4.1	3.6	3.0	4.0	5.8	3.7
Administrative and support services	1.6	1.8	1.4	3.9	5.1	5.3
Public administration and safety	7.5	7.6	10.5	10.2	9.1	8.1
Education and training	7.4	5.7	5.9	6.5	5.5	5.6
Health care and social assistance	8.0	8.8	9.7	9.5	10.6	7.8
Arts and recreation services	6.2	5.4	5.1	5.3	6.8	4.5
Other services	7.3	6.6	6.3	6.7	7.6	7.1
All industries	5.8	5.4	5.5	6.3	7.2	5.8

Total wages and salaries ($m), Oct-24 to Mar-25

Total wages and salaries paid by employers, by industry (a)
	Oct-24 ($m)	Nov-24 ($m)	Dec-24 ($m)	Jan-25 ($m)	Feb-25 ($m)	Mar-25 ($m)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	1,147	1,187	1,137	1,100	1,136	1,140
Mining	3,364	3,395	3,435	3,408	3,828	4,146
Manufacturing	6,279	6,395	6,374	6,110	6,539	6,705
Electricity, gas, water and waste services	1,603	1,585	1,595	1,567	1,671	1,736
Construction	8,689	8,788	8,419	8,149	8,953	8,831
Wholesale trade	4,555	4,646	4,645	4,511	4,871	5,090
Retail trade	5,827	5,998	6,117	5,844	5,918	5,940
Accommodation and food services	3,539	3,605	3,651	3,564	3,578	3,572
Transport, postal and warehousing	4,263	4,270	4,257	4,132	4,311	4,288
Information media and telecommunications	1,994	2,099	2,006	2,045	2,242	2,202
Financial and insurance services	5,554	5,847	5,943	5,565	6,065	6,260
Rental, hiring and real estate services	2,050	2,085	2,073	1,996	2,133	2,126
Professional, scientific and technical services	10,784	10,994	10,863	10,520	11,451	11,236
Administrative and support services	5,914	6,031	5,600	5,544	6,074	6,057
Public administration and safety	8,127	8,281	8,410	8,324	8,336	8,387
Education and training	7,723	8,196	8,054	7,164	7,696	7,901
Health care and social assistance	14,459	14,757	14,849	14,783	14,977	15,136
Arts and recreation services	1,137	1,149	1,159	1,113	1,149	1,140
Other services	2,846	2,886	2,856	2,791	2,907	2,912
All industries	99,855	102,193	101,445	98,231	103,834	104,805

Employment size

In March 2025, total wages and salaries paid by employers increased in 1 of 3 employment size groups from February 2025.

Businesses with 200 employees and over saw an increase of 2.1% (+$1,137m)

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by employment size (a)
	Mar-23 (%)	Mar-24 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
0-19 employees	0.3	0.2	-0.8
20-199 employees	0.3	1.1	0.0
200 employees and over	1.9	3.7	2.1

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by employment size (a)

[" ","Mar-23","Mar-24","Mar-25"]

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a. The leap year day in February 2024 alters the seasonal change usually seen in February and March. For more information see the leap year effect section within Factors affecting interpretation.

Month change, February

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by employment size (a)
	Feb-23 (%)	Feb-24 (%)	Feb-25 (%)
0-19 employees	6.9	5.0	6.4
20-199 employees	8.0	5.6	7.1
200 employees and over	4.6	4.2	4.8

Month change, January

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by employment size
	Jan-23 (%)	Jan-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)
0-19 employees	-4.5	-4.2	-2.8
20-199 employees	-3.3	-3.5	-2.7
200 employees and over	-3.6	-3.9	-3.5

Month change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by employment size
	Oct-24 (%)	Nov-24 (%)	Dec-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)	Feb-25 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
0-19 employees	-3.8	1.9	-1.2	-2.8	6.4	-0.8
20-199 employees	-1.2	1.8	-1.8	-2.7	7.1	0.0
200 employees and over	-4.1	2.8	0.0	-3.5	4.8	2.1
All sizes	-3.3	2.3	-0.7	-3.2	5.7	0.9

Annual change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Annual change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by employment size (a)
	Oct-24 (%)	Nov-24 (%)	Dec-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)	Feb-25 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
0-19 employees	3.9	3.6	3.2	4.7	6.1	5.1
20-199 employees	5.6	4.6	4.3	5.2	6.6	5.5
200 employees and over	6.6	6.6	7.1	7.4	8.0	6.3
All sizes	5.8	5.4	5.5	6.3	7.2	5.8

Total wages and salaries ($m), Oct-24 to Mar-25

Total wages and salaries paid by employers, by employment size
	Oct-24 ($m)	Nov-24 ($m)	Dec-24 ($m)	Jan-25 ($m)	Feb-25 ($m)	Mar-25 ($m)
0-19 employees	20,912	21,306	21,041	20,449	21,748	21,585
20-199 employees	26,223	26,689	26,221	25,515	27,332	27,329
200 employees and over	52,720	54,198	54,183	52,267	54,754	55,891
All sizes	99,855	102,193	101,445	98,231	103,834	104,805

Sector

In March 2025, total wages and salaries paid by employers rose in both sectors from February 2025.

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by sector (a)
	Mar-23 (%)	Mar-24 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
Private	1.2	2.1	0.7
Public	0.8	3.0	2.1

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by sector (a)

[" ","Mar-23","Mar-24","Mar-25"]

[["Private","Public "],[[1.2],[0.80000000000000004]],[[2.1000000000000001],[3]],[[0.69999999999999996],[2.1000000000000001]]]

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a. The leap year day in February 2024 alters the seasonal change usually seen in February and March. For more information see the leap year effect section within Factors affecting interpretation.

Month change, February

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by sector (a)
	Feb-23 (%)	Feb-24 (%)	Feb-25 (%)
Private	7.3	5.6	6.9
Public	0.9	1.7	1.2

Month change, January

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by sector
	Jan-23 (%)	Jan-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)
Private	-4.1	-3.8	-3.0
Public	-2.0	-4.0	-3.8

Month change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Month change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by sector
	Oct-24 (%)	Nov-24 (%)	Dec-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)	Feb-25 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
Private	-3.9	2.1	-1.1	-3.0	6.9	0.7
Public	-0.9	3.4	0.7	-3.8	1.2	2.1
All sectors	-3.3	2.3	-0.7	-3.2	5.7	0.9

Annual change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Annual change in total wages and salaries paid by employers, by sector (a)
	Oct-24 (%)	Nov-24 (%)	Dec-24 (%)	Jan-25 (%)	Feb-25 (%)	Mar-25 (%)
Private	5.4	4.9	4.7	5.6	7.0	5.4
Public	7.1	7.4	8.6	8.9	8.4	7.4
All sectors	5.8	5.4	5.5	6.3	7.2	5.8

Total wages and salaries ($m), Oct-24 to Mar-25

Total wages and salaries paid by employers, by sector
	Oct-24 ($m)	Nov-24 ($m)	Dec-24 ($m)	Jan-25 ($m)	Feb-25 ($m)	Mar-25 ($m)
Private	79,145	80,776	79,881	77,477	82,830	83,370
Public	20,710	21,417	21,564	20,754	21,004	21,435
All sectors	99,855	102,193	101,445	98,231	103,834	104,805

Data downloads

Table 1. Total wages and salaries paid by employers, percentage change

From this release, includes estimates of total wages and salaries paid by employers by state and territory by sector.

Data files

Download xlsx [184.03 KB]

Table 2. Total wages and salaries paid by employers, level

From this release, includes estimates of total wages and salaries paid by employers by state and territory by sector.

Data files

Download xlsx [148.03 KB]

All data cubes

Data files

Download zip [302.87 KB]

Changes in this release

In this release, the following sections were updated within the Methodology:

Factors affecting interpretation. Revisions subsection includes a note describing small additional revisions seen in this release.

Upcoming changes

New employee jobs measure in 2026

As part of the ABS' transition to releasing the new monthly employee jobs measure, the ABS is considering the retirement of the Payroll Jobs release in 2025.

The new monthly jobs measure is expected to be available in the first half of 2026, and will be included in the Monthly Employee Earnings Indicator release. Further details will be reported in this section in future releases.

Methodology

Scope

This release presents experimental estimates of wages and salaries paid by active employing businesses and organisations to their employees in the Australian economy.

Geography

Data is available for:

Australia total
States and territories

Source

Australian Tax Office (ATO) Single Touch Payroll (STP) administrative data combined with ABS Business Register data.

Collection method

The ATO provides selected employer and employee level data from the STP system to the ABS. These data are combined with employer population and characteristics data from quarterly ABS Business Register snapshots.

Concepts, sources and methods

Wages and salaries are gross values (prior to taxation and deductions) and include wages, salary payments and allowances paid through Australian payrolls.

Employee superannuation and severance and termination payments are excluded.

History of changes

Refined imputation method included in 21 May 2024 release.

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APA

Monthly Employee Earnings Indicator

APA

Key statistics

State and territory by sector estimates

National

Quarter change

State and territory

Month change, February

Month change, January

Month change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Annual change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Total wages and salaries ($m), Oct-24 to Mar-25

Industry

Month change, February

Month change, January

Month change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Annual change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Total wages and salaries ($m), Oct-24 to Mar-25

Employment size

Month change, February

Month change, January

Month change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Annual change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Total wages and salaries ($m), Oct-24 to Mar-25

Sector

Month change, February

Month change, January

Month change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Annual change, Oct-24 to Mar-25

Total wages and salaries ($m), Oct-24 to Mar-25

Data downloads

Table 1. Total wages and salaries paid by employers, percentage change

Table 2. Total wages and salaries paid by employers, level

All data cubes

Changes in this release

Upcoming changes

New employee jobs measure in 2026

Methodology

Scope

Geography

Source

Collection method

Concepts, sources and methods

History of changes

Media releases

Wages and salaries grow 5.8% in year to March 2025

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