The total retail job market in Australia fell by 7,500 in the December quarter compared to the September quarter in 2025, hitting 1.543 million. These numbers include both vacant jobs and filled jobs.
This is according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The total retail job market defied the overall trend, where the total number of jobs increased by 55,600 (or 0.3 per cent), which consisted of a decrease of 5,100 job vacancies and an increase of 60,700 filled jobs.
Filled jobs across the retail market also reported a slip in both quarter-on-quarter and annually, down 0.3 per cent and 0.7 per cent respectively in the December 2025 quarter. Filled jobs totalled 1.518 million at the end of last year.
More than 1.4 million Australians consider retail as their man job, with 104,000 calling it a second job.
Retail holds the second highest number of employed people in the December quarter, just behind healthcare and social assistance.
Across all industries together, the number of employed people rose by 99,800 people to 15 million in the December quarter 2025.
“The number of employed people rose by 0.7 per cent in line with the 0.7 per cent rise in hours worked this quarter,” ABS head of labour statistics Sean Crick said.
“Multiple job-holders rose 0.4 per cent to 976,400 people, following a rise of 2.4 per cent in the previous quarter. Despite the two quarterly rises, there were 9,800 fewer multiple job-holders compared to December quarter 2024.”
Crick added that the number of job vacancies decreased over the quarter, while the proportion of vacant jobs remained stable at 2.0 per cent.
Meanwhile, hours worked grew in 16 out of 19 industries this quarter, including in retail.
Crick said the largest growth in hours worked was a 5.4 per cent rise in agriculture, forestry and fishing. “This rise was largely due to a strong harvest season and bouncing back from the 6.3 per cent fall in September quarter 2025,” he said.
Filled jobs grew in 14 out of 19 industries this quarter.
The construction industry drove the rise in total filled jobs, recording a rise of 0.9 per cent this quarter. Over the past twelve months, the construction industry also saw the largest growth in the number of filled jobs, growing by 4.5 per cent or 57,700 jobs.
“Construction is now the third largest employing industry in Australia, accounting for 8.2 per cent of total filled jobs in December quarter 2025,’ Crick said.