Retail Sales

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GUEST OBSERVER
The recent lift in retail sales has sustained into October, a 0.5 percent gain in the month outstripping expectations of a more moderate 0.3 percent gain.
That follows back to back 0.6 percent monthly gains in August and September.
The detail suggests an expected dampening effect from price discounting did not materialise. Price gains accounted for all of the sales gain in Q3 and recent indicators suggested some food price increases have partially unwound in recent months.
However, food retail posted a solid 0.6 percent gain in the month, anchoring the overall result (basic food retail, i.e. supermarkets, account for about 40 percent of retail sales).
Other categories were a bit so-so with a solid but unspectacular rise for household goods retail (+0.7 percent/mth), declines for clothing (–0.4 percent) and the beleaguered department store category (–0.4 percent) but reasonable enough gains for ‘small ticket’ discretionary categories ‘other retail’ (+0.8 percent) and cafes &amp; restaurants (+0.4 percent).
By state, Qld was a standout with a surprisingly strong 0.8 percent lift.
Overall, the result suggests consumer demand may has retained some momentum although as always disentangling retail specific effects from wider patterns of demand remains tricky.
Matthew Hassan is senior economist with <a href="https://www.westpac.com.au/" target="_blank">Westpac</a>.
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Queensland a standout with a surprisingly strong lift in retail sales

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GUEST OBSERVER
Retail sales were largely flat in December after rising for the prior four months. Aussie retailers have certainly faced their share of headwinds over the past year. And while it’s pretty clear that December was a soft month in terms of retail activity, the December quarter was essentially in line with longer-term averages.
What the result highlights is a momentum shift. Activity levels were strong at the start of the quarter but seem to have pulled back over the Christmas spending period. Interestingly the soft result was also mirrored in the Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Index (which measures all the debit and credit transactions that are processed across CBA eftpos terminals).
<a href="/images/2016/02/09/Screen%20Shot%202016-02-09%20at%209.04.29%20AM.png" target="_blank">Click to enlarge</a>
<img src="/images/2016/02/09/Screen%20Shot%202016-02-09%20at%209.04.29%20AM.png" alt="" width="672" height="213">
The Reserve Bank has slightly downgraded growth forecasts in 2017 and 2018. However it is important to note that the forecast changes are downward tweaks rather substantial cuts.
And rather than any serious signs of panic or concern, the downward revisions effectively opened the door to another rate cut if it becomes necessary. 
Interestingly, the accompanying commentary certainly suggests that Board Members remain uncertain about the near term outlook for the domestic economy but the longer term prospects remain relatively sound.
Importantly the weaker near term growth story is really driven by the uncertainty in non-mining business investment. However given the rather more positive view on the longer term prospects – particularly the expectations for an ongoing slide in unemployment it is by no means assured that another interest rate cut is on the cards.
Two key concerns dominate central bank thinking. The first include how the rebalancing of the domestic economy (away from mining investment) is keeping pace. And the second is the uncertain impact of the recent financial turbulence – it has the potential to see businesses and households pullback in terms of activity. Interestingly the weakness in non-mining business investment is the one area that continues to occupy policymakers thoughts. A lift in business investment is the key to supporting growth and in providing an overall lift in jobs.
The policy stance is clearly slanted towards the potential for further rate cuts rather than rate hikes. Subdued global growth, a lower terms of trade, coupled with a lack of non-mining investment are some of the risks to domestic growth.
The Reserve Bank intimated on Tuesday that the economic outlook was improving while at the same time noting inflation was lower than expected. Clearly that gives the Reserve Bank scope to cut rates, if it was needed. But the Reserve Bank is not giving any indication that it intends to act on that ‘easing bias ’ any time soon. In fact we expect the Reserve Bank to keep rates on hold over the rest of 2016.
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<img src="/images/2016/02/09/Screen%20Shot%202016-02-09%20at%209.08.03%20AM.png" alt="">
What do the figures show?
Retail trade – December month
Retail trade was flat in December after rising for the prior four months.  In trend terms, retail trade grew by 0.3 per cent in December.
Non-food retailing fell by 0.5 per cent in December after rising by 0.5 per cent in November. Non-food retail spending is up 4.6 per cent on a year ago.
Sales by chain-store retailers and other large retailers rose by 0.4 per cent in December to be up 6.4 per cent over the year.
Sales rose in five of the eight states and territories, led by the ACT (up 2.5 per cent), Northern Territory (up 0.3 per cent), Queensland and South Australia (both up 0.2 per cent), and NSW (up 0.1 per cent). Sales fell the most in Western Australia and Tasmania (both down 0.6 per cent), and Victoria (down 0.1 per cent).
Strongest growth in the month was by “Liquor retailing” (up 1.3 per cent) followed by “Footwear and other personal accessory retailing” (up 1.2 per cent) and clothing (up 1 per cent).
The biggest drop in sales in the month was recorded by “Electrical, Electronic &amp; Gas Goods Retailing” (down 1.7  per cent) followed by “Other recreational good retailing” (down 1.5 per cent) and “Hardware, building and garden supplies retailing” (down 1 per cent).
“Newspaper and book retailing”  (down 2.6 per cent) and “Department stores”  (down 0.9 per cent).
Retail trade – December quarter
In real (inflation-adjusted) terms, retail trade rose by 0.6 percent in the December quarter – marginally below the decade average of 0.7 per cent. In real terms sales were up 2.5 percent on a year ago – below the decade average of 2.9 percent.
Strongest growth in the quarter was by “Electrical, Electronic &amp; Gas Goods Retailing” (up 5.4 per cent – the best result in a year), followed by “Other recreational good retailing” (up 4.2 percent – the best result in two years.) and “Department stores” (up 1.8 per cent).
The biggest drop in sales in the quarter was recorded by “Other retailing – stationery goods, flowers, antiques” (down 4.4 per cent), followed by “Footwear and other personal accessory retailing” (down 2.8 per cent – the weakest quarterly result in three years), and “Other specialised retailing” (down 2.6 per cent).
Retail inflation lifted by 0.7 per cent in the December quarter – the biggest quarterly rise in two years. Retail prices are up 1.6 per cent over the year. Prices of goods at “Footwear and other personal accessory retailing” rose by 3.1 per cent, with “Other retailing – stationery goods, flowers, antiques” up 2.2 per cent, and “Supermarkets &amp; grocery stores” up 1.2 per cent.
Key take-aways from the Reserve Bank report
Below are our key “take-aways” from the Reserve Bank’s latest quarterly reviews. The full Statement on Monetary Policy can be found <a href="https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/smp/2016/feb/" target="_blank">here</a>: 
Forecasts: The RBA expects annual economic growth 2-3 cent and underlying inflation around 2.00 percent over the next few months.
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<img src="/images/2016/02/09/Screen%20Shot%202016-02-09%20at%209.19.13%20AM.png" alt="">
Economic outlook: “Forecasts for GDP growth are little changed from those presented in the November statement. Year ended GDP growth is forecast to be 2ó–3ó per cent over the year to December 2016, and to increase to 3–4 per cent over the year to June 2018.”
Inflation forecasts: “The December quarter inflation outcome was broadly in line with expectations in the previous Statement. The forecast for underlying inflation is little changed. Underlying inflation is expected to remain low over the forecast period...”
Non-mining business investment: “The outlook is for non-mining business investment to remain subdued in the near term. The ABS capital expenditure survey of firms’ investment intentions and the low level of non-residential building approvals suggest that the profile of nonmining investment will be a bit weaker than earlier”.
Labour market: “Labour market conditions have improved by more than expected at the time of the November Statement. Employment growth was above average over 2015 and the unemployment rate was around ó percentage point lower in the December quarter than earlier anticipated.”
“While employment growth is expected to slow somewhat from the rapid pace seen in the December quarter, it is forecast to remain strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate further. The participation rate is likely to rise further over coming years as individuals are encouraged to enter the labour market as employment opportunities improve.”
Foreign buyers: “ Information from the Bank’s liaison suggests that foreign buyers tend to have longterm motivations for investment and may be relatively unconcerned about temporary fluctuations in housing price growth.”
What is the importance of the economic data?
The Bureau of Statistics’  Retail trade publication contains the most current readings on the performance of consumer spending. The ABS surveys 500 ‘larger businesses’ and 2,750 ‘smaller businesses’. Retail trade covers spending at a broad range of retail outlets but excludes both petrol and motor vehicle sales. A weak retail trade result may point to a slowing economy as well weighing on the share prices of listed retail stocks. But retail trade estimates can’t be assessed in isolation – it is important to look at the influences determining future trends in consumer spending, such as income, employment and confidence levels.
The Reserve Bank releases its Statement on Monetary Policy each quarter. The Statement is the Reserve Bank’s assessment of economic and financial conditions and also contains the latest inflation views. The Statement is crucial is assessing the short-term outlook for interest rates.
What are the implications for interest rates and investors?
The outlook for retailers remains positive. Lower petrol prices, firm confidence levels, strong home construction and rising employment all serve to boost spending levels. The only area that could instil some hesitancy in the average consumer is the weaker performance of the sharemarket.
The Reserve Bank will closely monitor developments in China and financial markets more generally. Encouragingly the Reserve Bank has plenty of firepower to provide stimulus to the economy. CommSec expects no change in the cash rate over the next year.
 
Savanth Sebastian is an economist for <a href="https://www.commsec.com.au/" target="_blank">CommSec</a>
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Spending stalls, RBA tips lower jobless rate: Savanth Sebastian

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GUEST OBSERVER
As e-tailing and large format fashion reshape the retail landscape, shopping centres are evolving into community hubs offering a broader range of experiences.
There’s change brewing in the domestic fashion world. Big international retailers like Zara, H&amp;M and Uniqlo are accelerating cycles and smaller retailers need to differentiate their brands to survive.
Fashion retail is not just about the product. If you are a ‘me too’, you’re in no man’s land and highly exposed – it’s increasingly about the experience and how you engage with customers across all channels. And that means owning and building your brand. 
We feel that the industry is seeing more fashion wind-ups at the moment, as businesses without sufficient differentiation are losing customers.
It's quite possible that some fashion retailers are failing, in part, as they try to create an increasing number of collections each year to compete with online or fast fashion – something that puts massive strains on their resources. They can’t keep up with changing consumer preferences and online shopping.
Pressure on the fashion retailers
Sales are transferring to big box fashion retailers. The apparel pie isn’t growing to the same extent, so naturally that’s put pressure on the rest of the fashion category - there’s a re-aligning of the fashion spend. 
Big box fashion has a key operational advantage too, as their gross occupancy charges are substantially cheaper than the average specialty store. 
A typical specialty fashion store has rental costs greater than 20 percent of sales, which means sales don’t have to decline much for profit margins to be decimated.
If they don’t own their brand, provide a great experience and don’t have a sharp business model, they’re in trouble. 
The shift for shopping centres
Failing fashion retailers aren’t a sign that people are necessarily moving away from shopping centres. Instead, customers are looking for something different.
Broadly speaking, total square meterage of fashion retail isn’t dramatically changing, but the mix and composition is evolving. We foresee that there’ll be fewer but larger fashion offerings over the next few years, which will be paired with a sophisticated range of services that put retail and services at the heart of the community. 
We’re seeing demand growth in entertainment, experience and service uses – things that can’t be replicated online.
As long as you can’t go bowling, get your teeth fixed, eat a steak or get a manicure online, you’ve got a potential retail operation. 
This trend is spreading right across Australia. Smaller shopping centres that were largely focused on fashion and food are diversifying to include a broader ranges of categories – which is a great thing. The old concept of one-stop shopping is making a comeback. The customer wins, and so do landlords. Good retail environments always adapt to the times to maintain relevance. 
Leighton Hunziker is director - Retail Services and Occupier Services for Savills. He can be contacted <a href="https://www.savills.com.au" target="_blank">here</a>.
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Fashion funk paves way for retail relevance

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GUEST OBSERVER
Retail sales posted a 0.5% rise in Oct, mid-way between the consensus forecast of 0.4% and Westpac’s 0.6% (although at 0.549%, closer to Westpac’s call in unrounded terms).That follows 0.4% gains in Aug and Sep.
Store categories recorded a mixed month with solid gains for basic food (+0.6% off a soft Sep), household goods (1.1% but still subdued given housing strength) and a decent bounce for department stores (+3.5% more than reversing the 1.6% drop in Sep. These were partially offset by a dip in cafes and restaurants (–0.6%) and basically flat results for clothing and ‘other retail’.
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The state results ranged high to low from NSW (+0.8% after a quiet Aug-Sep), to Vic &amp; Qld (0.5%, the former after solid gains in Aug-Sep, the latter after back to back declines), SA (+0.3% holding at insipid growth rates), and WA (flat, implying worsening per capita cuts in spending).
The monthly trend sales estimate suggests a slight improvement with annual growth lifting from a 3.6% annualised mid-year to around 3.9%yr currently. 
On a 3mth rolling basis however, annual sales growth is still softening from a peak of 4.6%yr in Q2 to 4% currently. On a broad store-type basis, the slowdown is coming from more moderate growth in household goods retail and a marginal softening in basic food, the contribution from other categories lifting a little. By state, it is mainly centred on NSW &amp; ACT, where strong sales growth had been driving about half of the gains nationally up until earlier this year.
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A significant wedge is starting to emerge between large and small retailers with the latter struggling again (sales down 0.4%yr). Growth is particularly strong for large non-food retailers (+8.9%yr).
October was a poor month for retailers' sales via online channels, with non seasonally adjusted sales up just 3.5%yr, the first time sales in this channel have dipped below non- online retail since the ABS started providing a split in 2013. Over that short period, online retail has typically grown at 51⁄2 times faster than total retail (i.e. 20%yr+).
All up the pace of sales growth remains sub-par, particularly given that retailers should be indirectly benefitting from the lower AUD's boost to Australia's tourism sector and a consistently more upbeat picture from private sector business surveys. Some of this likely reflects continued aggressive price competition in a range of sub-sectors (the monthly figures are nominal and thus include the impact of both volume and price changes). Recent reads from the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Consumer Sentiment survey point to a more positive tone particularly around Christmas spending plans. Dec-Jan may see some better retail results.
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<img src="/images/2015/12/7/Screen%20Shot%202015-12-07%20at%2010.16.24%20AM.png" alt=""> 
 
Matthew Hassan is senior economist with <a href="https://www.westpac.com.au/" target="_blank">Westpac</a>.
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Australian retail sales on the up: Westpac's Matthew Hassan

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GUEST OBSERVER
Retail sales disappointed in July coming in flat vs expectations of a 0.3 percent gain. Annual growth slowed to 2.7 percent with the monthly trend estimate tracking a very weak 1.1 percent annualised pace.
There are some caveats to the July number however. In particular, the storetype breakdown showed an unusually large fall in department store sales – down 6.2 percent in the month in seasonally adjusted terms, coming off a decent 4.5 percent gain in June.
That volatility may reflect shifts in the timing of sales which can be exaggerated by seasonal adjustment (we had similar issues in 2013 and 2012 with a strong June followed by a sharp fall in July that mostly reversed in August).
Weather conditions may also have played a part with an abnormally mild July (the 5th warmest on records back to 1961 according to the Bureau of Meteorology) although this did not stop clothing retailers from posting a 0.3 percent gain.
Ex department stores, retail sales were up a much more respectable 0.4 percent mth, 3.1 percent yr.
Looking across other categories: basic food retail bounced back with a 0.7 percent gain following a very weak June (–0.5 percent mth, the second biggest monthly decline in the last six years); household goods disappointed again with a 0.7 percent fall, ‘other’ retail rose 0.2 percent and cafes and restaurants saw a robust 1.2 percent gain.
As noted in previous reports, some of the ‘mixed messages’ from retail at the moment likely reflect widely diverging performances by state with consumers in the growth centres in the south-east boosting discretionary spend but those in mining states cutting back.
For total sales this pattern reversed somewhat in July with sales softer in Vic (–0.6 percent mth) and NSW (–0.2 percent mth) vs modest gains in Qld (0.5 percent mth) SA (0.5 percent mth) and WA (0.3 percent mth).
Note that all sales figures are in dollar value terms so include any price effects from discounting.
Matthew Hassan is senior economist with <a href="https://www.westpac.com.au/" target="_blank">Westpac</a>.
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Australian July retail sales flat: Westpac's Matthew Hassan

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Bunnings is selling its new warehouse which recently opened in the master-planned community of Springfield in Queensland. 
The <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-retail-qld-springfield-501719617" target="_blank">15,972sqm store</a> has parking for 325 cars and is offered for sale through an expressions of interest campaign being conducted by Peter Tyson and Jon Tyson of Savills.
Offers are due October 28. 
The new store commenced trading in August this year.
It will be offered with an initial 12-year lease with eight six-year options. It is offered with a net annual income of $2,115,000.
The store was developed on a prominent 37,110sq m site.
Springfield Central is the CBD of the Greater Springfield master-planned community, which is home to around six new suburbs, including Springfield, Springfield Lakes, Brookwater, Spring Mountain and Augustine Heights. 
“Assets of this pedigree do not often come to market in Queensland. Given the ultra-prime bond style nature of the offering, we anticipate strong investor interest. The Bunnings lease is one of the most highly prized covenants in today’s market,” said Peter Tyson, Savills national director of retail investments.
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Bunnings selling year-old Springfield, Queensland warehouse

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<div>A boutique Prahran retail space of 50 square metres, opposite the $60 million Cato Square urban park development, has been sold for $505,000, reflecting $10,100 per square metre.</div>
Shop 2 at 119 Izett Street, Prahran was sold to a local investor.
Fitzroys agent James Lockwood said its new owner intends to hold the property as an investment and potentially occupy in the future.
Cato Square development is currently under construction, transforming a car park site in almost 10,000 square metres of urban parkland and underground parking.
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Boutique Prahran retail space fetches $505,000

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William Street, Paddington hasn't lost its lustre after fashion designer turned property investor Collette Dinnigan recently offloaded her former shop premises.
The mystery buyer has emerged as Patrick Johnson, the tailor to Sydney's well dressed business types and socialites.
Johnson will no doubt be busy this week at his exisiting nearby P.Johnson Tailors premises, fitting suits and shirts for racing lovers as they prepare to head to Royal Randwick for The Everest this Saturday.
P.Johnson Tailors also has stores in New York and London.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/10/16/dinnigan1.jpg" alt="">
The expansionary P.Johnson Tailors was recently described in GQ as London's hottest new tailoring story.
Johnson will fit out the William Street space which had been trading as fashion designer Muchacho Clothing (above and below).
The shop will be Johnson's fourth across the country, and third in Sydney having established the company in 2008. 
Johnson's shuffled around his private residential property portfolio last year, <a href="https://www.urban.com.au/news/66176-darling-point-designer-duo-fashion-a-sale-success" target="_blank">swapping Darling Point for Taramara</a> with his wife, interior designer Tamsin Johnson who also runs Tamsin Johnson Interiors.
Having spent $3.85 million in Tamarama, the designer couple sold their Yarranabbe Road apartment for $1,755,000.
<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/c_scale,w_580,q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/po.images/2018/10/16/dinnigan3.jpg" alt=""> 
Ivan Bresic at Bresic Whitney Darlinghurst secured the shop sale after having a $1,625,000 guide. 
Dinnigan had owned the property since 1998 when she paid $625,000, but she had been renting out the space over recent times.
Her link to retail village dated back to 1992, her earliest days in fashion, when and living above the premises since 1992,.
<div>"It is a very emotional decision and certainly marks the end of an era," Dinnigan noted.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div>"William Street was good to me and gave me the exposure I needed in the Australian market to build my brand.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>“It’s such a fantastic area for local artisans and up-and-coming designers and bespoke retailers.</div>
</div>
Jasmine Yarborough, the shoe making fiancé of breakfast television co-host Karl Stefanovic, has leased William Street space for her Mara &amp; Mine collection which she launched with best friend Tamara Ingham.
This article was first published in the Daily Telegraph.
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Socialite tailor Patrick Johnson buys Collette Dinnigan's William Street store

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EXPERT OBSERVER
Interestingly, Australia’s policymakers say we are in recession. But clearly it is a very interesting recession. Retail spending rose 2.4 per cent in June after a 16.9 per cent rise in May. Overall, Australians spent 8.2 per cent more on retail goods and services than they did in June last year. Recent jobs data shows that a record 210,800 jobs were created in June. And national home prices are 7.8 per cent higher than a year ago.
There is no doubt that Australia – like other nations – is battling the COVID-19 crisis and the impacts on the economy. But today’s data shows that our economy is indeed doing better than most – as the Treasurer and Reserve Bank Governor have noted. Stimulus measures provided by state and territory governments and the Reserve Bank have been significant, helping businesses and consumers navigate these challenging times.
The June retail trade data is 22 days old, but it is almost ancient history. Melbourne is under lockdown and many NSW residents are in isolation due to virus outbreaks. Governments and banks have done a lot so far to support Aussies but more may still be required.
The services sector, including restaurants, pubs &amp; clubs, sporting venues and arts &amp; recreation continue to struggle. But food, alcohol and household goods remain very much in demand, driving the overall retail sector higher.
The road will be bumpy in the re-opening phase, and there will be setbacks, but the Australian economy is on the way back. We just need to rely on all Australians doing the right thing – social distancing, wearing masks when required and maintaining good hand hygiene.
What do the figures show?
Retail trade – June
‘Preliminary’ retail trade rose by 2.4 per cent in June after rising by a record 16.9 per cent in May (highest in 38 years of records). Retail spending is up 8.2 per cent on the year. The final June data will be released on August 4.
The ABS reported, “there were large increases in turnover in Cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, and Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing. While some restrictions on trade remain, many businesses saw a full month of trade in June, having been closed for the first week of May 2020."
Rises in Cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services exceeded 20 per cent for the second consecutive month, but will remain 17 per cent below the levels of June 2019, while Clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing rose around 19 per cent, remaining 6 per cent below June 2019 levels.
Food retailing rose 0.9 per cent following a 7.2 per cent month-on-month rise in May, and remains elevated in through-the-year terms.
Analysis of supermarket scanner data shows that compared to June 2019, Perishable goods rose 14.4 per cent, Non-perishable goods 12.4 per cent, and All other products 7.8 per cent. The annual growth reflects a continuation of more food being prepared and consumed at home due to social distancing. At the end of the June month there was some evidence of stockpiling of goods such as toilet paper, flour, rice and pasta. At the aggregate level, stockpiling is most evident in Victoria.
Household goods retailing fell in June 2020 although remains 23 per cent above June 2019 levels.
Department stores saw a significant fall after a large rise in May 2020 in seasonally adjusted month-on-month terms.”
In its press release the ABS said: “Rises in June 2020 were led by cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services, and clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing. While some restrictions on trade remained in June, many businesses in these industries saw a full month of trade, having been closed for the first week of May 2020. Turnover in these industries remained below the levels of June 2019.
Food retailing saw a minor rise of 0.9 per cent, with a rise in supermarkets and grocery stores offset by a fall in liquor retailing. Levels in supermarkets and grocery stores remained elevated, with evidence of stockpiling occurring at the very end of June, particularly in Victoria.
Household goods retailing fell in June 2020, however this industry continued to trade significantly above the levels of June 2019. Department stores fell 12 per cent following a large rise in May.”
Skilled Job Vacancies – June
In seasonally adjusted terms, the Department of Employment Internet Vacancy Index (IVI) increased by 26.3 per cent (or 24,600 job advertisements) in June 2020 to stand at 118,300. Despite this increase, job advertisements are 31.0 per cent (or 53,100 advertisements) below the level recorded in June 2019.
All states and both territories recorded an increase in job advertisements in June 2020. NSW (up 22.5 per cent); Victoria (up 35.4 per cent); Queensland (up 29.3 per cent); South Australia (up 29.5 per cent); Western Australia (up 32.4 per cent); Tasmania (up 52.3 per cent); Northern Territory (up 35.7 per cent); ACT (up 3 per cent).
“Job advertisements increased in all occupational groups. The strongest gains were recorded for Community and Personal Service Workers (up by 54.5 per cent), followed by Sales Workers (39.2 per cent) and Technicians and Trades Workers (32.1 per cent).
Despite the gains observed during the month, 45 of the 48 detailed occupational groups recorded falls in job advertisement over the year to June 2020.
Education Professionals recorded the largest increase (up by 21.9 per cent or 390 job advertisements) over the year. Construction Trades Workers, and Cleaners and Laundry Workers were the two other occupational groups to record increases, both up by 3.9 per cent (or 80 and 60 job advertisements respectively).
Job advertisements for Education Professionals and Cleaners and Laundry Workers now exceed pre COVID-19 (February 2020) levels.”
What are the implications for investors
The economic environment remains very fluid, driven by daily developments in the virus crisis. Volatility will persist until a vaccine is found or there are fundamental advances in virus treatments.
The Federal Government will release the July Economic and Fiscal Update (JEFU) at 11am on Thursday.
CRAIG JAMES is the Chief Economist at CommSec
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Retail spending up 8% on last year: CommSec's Craig James

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Fashion entrepreneur Malcolm Webster, who owns and is the executive chairman of the David Lawrence fashion empire, is selling a three level Richmond corner building.
The double-fronted property, part of a larger terrace, is on the south-west intersection of Bridge Road and Lennox Street.
Colliers International's Jeremy Gruzewski and Ted Dwyer are marketing <a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-land+development-vic-richmond-501681657" target="_blank">132 Bridge Road</a>.
It is owner occupied by the fashion group.
It also derives an income from a billboard attached to the property's Lennox Street facade.
David Lawrence controls fashion brands including Jigsaw, which Webster introduced to Australia in 1991 and Marcs, which was acquired in 2006 from the Oroton Group. 
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