Nearly 500 jobs are to be axed from the Australian Bureau of Statistics in coming months, we have learned from the bureau’s 2017-18 Forward Work Program. Will this hinder its capacity to churn out the data to such devastating effect?
Today we look back at 20 of the ABS’ best, most inconvenient-for-the-government statistics, drawn from recent Crikey reports:
Economic growth
During the Rudd years Australia’s annual economic growth was in the top three in the OECD. In 2012 and 2013 it was still in the top seven. After four years of the Coalition, growth now ranks 25th out of those 35 countries.
Wages
For the last four quarters, annual wages growth has been jammed at 1.9%, the lowest rate ever recorded. Adjusted for inflation and population rises, that is a huge wage cut.
Workers’ share of national income
Share of gross domestic product enjoyed by wage earners has tumbled dramatically. For the third consecutive quarter, employees’ share has been below 46.9%. This is the lowest since the ABS began recording this data in 1959.
People unemployed
The latest data shows 711,500 people unemployed. For 11 months now the total has been above 710,000. The last time that happened before the Coalition was elected was in 1997.
Monthly hours worked per adult
Through the Howard years this averaged a creditable 87.0. Hours worked grew through the Rudd/Gillard period to an average of 87.8 per person per month, reaching an all-time high of 90.9 at one point. Since the 2013 election it has been all downhill. Average during the Abbott/Turnbull years has been a dismal 85.3.
Full-time versus casual jobs
At the time of the 2013 election, only 30.2% of workers were in part-time jobs. This exceeded 31% for the first time in August 2015, then breached 32% in September 2016. It reached an all-time high of 32.26% earlier this year.
Workers without leave entitlements
More than 2,527,500 workers were reported in August to have no holiday, long service or sick leave entitlements provided by their employer, including 848,200 full-time workers. The percentage of workers without leave has been above 25% for five out of the last six quarters, the worst level since the late Howard years.
Underemployment
Workers who need more hours than they currently work breached 1 million in August 2014. It has remained above 1 million workers since, now 13 quarters. It is currently 1,115,300. That’s up from 8.1% of employed persons when the Coalition took office to 9.1% now.
Workers unemployed for more than a year
Now 166,600. That’s up 23.0% since 2013, compared with a 5.9% population rise. For 42 months straight this has been above 155,000. This never exceeded 136,000 during Labor’s entire regime.
Average weeks the jobless spend looking for a job
Four years ago, at the time of the 2013 election this was 38.6. Now eleven weeks longer at 49.7.
Household disposable income
This has tumbled disastrously under the Coalition to just $29,840 per household, well below the 2013 level of $30,840. This calculation uses two vital ABS datasets: gross household income for the whole economy, and number of households.
Household savings
Increase in savings for the June quarter was just $4.7 billion, the lowest amount in nine years. Total increase in savings for the 12 months to the end of June was just $57.98 billion, the lowest increase since 2008-09, during the global financial crisis.
Housing approvals
For August these were just 18,514. That is 15% below August last year and 3% below August 2015. It is below the average monthly approvals for the last four financial years — 18,689. Australia is now at a four-year low.
Private sector construction
Construction in the private sector – where 80% of the output occurs – decreased in the 2016-17 year for the third consecutive year — for the first time ever. The rate of the decline has increased each year. It fell by 4.9% in 2014-15, then by 6.5% in 2015-16. It collapsed this year by 8.0%.
Government infrastructure
Engineering construction by the government sector over the last four financial years has averaged just $28.5 billion per year. That is disastrously down on the last four years of the Rudd/Gillard administration where the average was $33.5 billion. The states are doing their share. The federal Government has downed tools.
Construction worker fatalities
The 19 fatalities in the construction sector to June 30 this year represent more than 44 deaths per 100,000 chain volume units of construction. That is up from 35.8 for all of 2016, 31.3 for 2015, 25.5 for 2014 and close to double the 24.7 average for Labor’s latter years. Construction deaths increased to 27 by October 16th.
Retail sales
As happens when wages are cut, retailers suffer first, then wholesalers, importers and others along the chain. Retail turnover fell in August for the second month in a row.
Turnover increase in the financial year to June 2017 was just 3.2%, the lowest outside a global recession in decades.
Company profits
ABS figures show gross profits for all sectors combined reached a new record $304.9 billion. That is up an impressive 21.9% on 2015-16, the highest annual percentage increase since 2002, when the economy was recovering from the early 2000s global recession. Wow!
Booming trade
Trade figures for August – an impressive $989 million – confirm exporters are enjoying huge revenues. This makes nine healthy surpluses in the last ten months.
Capital outflows
The capital and financial account for the June quarter was $3.7 billion. That’s the second lowest since 2001, during the early 2000s recession. The lowest was $3.6 billion in December 2016. Net money flowing in is now close to an all-time low, as expected if mega profits are being offshored at an unprecedented rate.
Conclusion
The ABS sends a clear message of two economies: one where the rich are enjoying unprecedented prosperity and the other where the majority are progressively disadvantaged.
“All Labor’s fault….”
There is nothing more valuable than a factual overlay when endeavouring to grasp a balanced view of multiple contradictions. Thanks again Alan.
How do the LNP think nobbling the ABS will help hide the bad news but somehow produce more good news?
It’s worked so far for them. They don’t want to have the ABS figures disputing or comparing what they put out in the public arena.
Shooting the messenger. A further demonstration of this governments incompetence. In line with the knowledge of the constitution as proclaimed regarding Barnaby by the PM. The ABS was considered to be in the top 2 statistical agencies within the OECD. Turnball is turning it into a NBN-like fiasco. This is a dumbing down of our nation along with our stumbling away from renewables. God help us – because the coalition can’t.
I hope all the idiots, that is the 50.9% of them who voted for this corrupt government and returned them to continue the punishment their mentor howard started, are the main suffers under this government, the figures quoted above are not accidental, this is the mantra of these right wing demagogues, the intention was all ways to maximise profits and minimise wages, to destroy unions and slash services,cut pensions, destroy medicare that is the DNA of these creatures, yet the fools keep electing them regardless.