Accommodation and food turnover on top in December

Accommodation and food services recorded the largest percentage rise in business turnover in December after falling in November, according to monthly figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Robert Ewing, ABS head of business indicator statistics, said food and beverage services led the rise for the accommodation and food services industry, as Australians enjoyed a less disrupted lead-up to the holiday season.

Manufacturing recorded the next largest monthly rise in turnover, with primary metal and metal product manufacturers leading the increase.

However, it seems people didn’t want to splash out on entertainment, especially large sporting fixtures with the arts and recreation sector, which fell for the third consecutive month, with tickets for large sporting events falling after a strong November result.

Mining also fell with lower turnover contributions from coal and liquified natural gas.

All 13 selected industries recorded year-on-year increases from December 2021 and larger increases in the two years from December 2020, most notably led by mining (+27.1 per cent from December 2021 and +64.8 per cent from December 2020).

The largest rises in monthly turnover were seen in:

• Accommodation and food services (5 per cent)
• Manufacturing (3.6 per cent)
• Construction (2.2 per cent)

Of the six industries that showed falls in December 2022, the largest were in:

• Other services (-6 per cent)
• Arts and recreation services (-4 per cent)
• Mining (-3 per cent)

All industry divisions recorded year-on-year increases in business turnover in December 2022 compared with December 2021. The largest rises were recorded in:

• Mining (27.1 per cent)
• Electricity, gas, water and waste services (23.4 per cent)
• Transport, postal and warehousing (19.2 per cent)