Single Touch Payroll

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:36): My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer update the chamber on the latest Single Touch Payroll figures?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Treasurer has the call.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:36): Mr President, I can see the opposition is very excited at the regular updates in relation to Single Touch Payroll figures. Given we haven't sat for a week or so, the most recent figures were released last week for the fortnight ending 16 October 2021. I am delighted to be able to report again that South Australia, when measured against the low point of the pandemic in April 2020, had the second largest increase of all of the states in terms of the number of employee jobs created.

From the depths of the pandemic, through to the most recent fortnightly figures in October, there was a 15.4 per cent increase in the number of employee jobs in South Australia, second only to Western Australia, which had a 16.9 per cent increase. I think even more impressive is the national figure, still impressive at 10.2 per cent, but South Australia's growth, at 15.4 per cent, is almost 50  per cent greater than the national growth rate during that particular period.

As I indicated before, I think the more interesting and potentially useful figure is actually the measure of change in employee wages, again measured between the jurisdictions. Again, Western Australia was the out and out leader with an 18.7 per cent increase in employee wages since the low point of the pandemic in April last year. The national figure is 12 per cent. South Australia's figure comes in on that particular measure at third, behind Western Australia and just behind Queensland. South Australia's figure was 14.2 per cent, so 2.2 percentage points higher than the national figure.

Again, the Single Touch Payroll figures, which come out more regularly than the monthly labour force figures, are encouraging signs for the state's economic recovery. As the Premier has only recently announced, as we move to the next stage of emerging from the pandemic, in terms of the easing of restrictions and reaching the 80 per cent double-vaxx mark from 23 November, the capacity for some of our sectors which have been massively impacted by the 18 months of COVID 19—and in particular I refer to the travel and tourism and hospitality sectors—with the influx, we hope, of interstate migration and, in a phased way, overseas migration as the international borders open up, we hope to see further development of those jobs and wage and salary figures when I am able next report to this house, if I am, on the next fortnightly Single Touch Payroll figures.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Franks has the call.