Australian retailers have seen the second-highest rise in monthly turnover this April, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data revealed.
From March to April, retail saw a rise of 1.3%, just behind accommodation and food services at 1.7%.
Just two other industries saw monthly rises from March to April - manufacturing (0.9%) and construction (0.2%).
ABS head of business indicators Kate Lamb said nine of the 13 selected industries saw falls in monthly business turnover, which hasn't been seen since July 2021 when COVID-19 Delta cases were on the rise.
This includes a 10.6% fall for the mining industry, the lowest in March-April monthly turnover.
“The mining industry’s fall was led by coal and iron ore miners, as prices for these commodities fell and exports were lower as per International Trade data released yesterday,” Lamb said.
Electricity, gas, water and waste services recorded the second-largest monthly fall in turnover (-9.4%), reversing the 9.3% rise in March.
This was followed by transport, postal and warehousing (-6.8%), with lower turnover seen across shipping and freight businesses and airline operators.
“In year-on-year terms, 11 of the 13 industries included in the indicator rose in contrast to the monthly falls,” Lamb said.
“This was led by construction (+18.0%), other services (+13.6%), and accommodation and food services (+11.1%).”
The only two industries to fall year-on-year were mining and information media and telecommunications (-5.2%and -0.1% respectively).
“This is the first time since January 2022, when COVID-19 Omicron cases peaked, that any industry has recorded negative year-on-year growth,” Lamb said.