At present (December 4, 2024), the Australian Bureau of Statistics launched the most recent – Australian Nationwide Accounts: Nationwide Earnings, Expenditure and Product, June 2024 – which reveals that the Australian economic system grew by simply 0.3 per cent within the September-quarter 2024 and by simply 0.8 per cent over the 12 months (down from 1 per cent). That development price is properly beneath the speed required to maintain unemployment from rising. GDP per capita fell for the seventh consecutive quarter and was 1.5 per cent down over the yr. This can be a tough measure of how far materials dwelling requirements have declined but when we issue within the unequal distribution of earnings, which is getting worse, then the final 12 months have been very harsh for the underside finish of the distribution. Family consumption expenditure was flat. The one supply of expenditure maintaining GDP development constructive got here from authorities – each recurrent and funding. Nevertheless, fiscal coverage is just not expansionary sufficient and on the present development price, unemployment will rise. Each fiscal and financial coverage are squeezing family expenditure and the contribution of direct authorities spending, whereas constructive, won’t be adequate to fill the increasing non-government spending hole. On the present development price, unemployment will rise. And that can be a deliberate act from our coverage makers.
The principle options of the Nationwide Accounts launch for the September-quarter 2024 had been (seasonally adjusted):
- Actual GDP elevated by 0.3 per cent for the quarter (0.2 per cent final quarter). The annual development price was 0.8 per cent (down from 1.0).
- GDP per capita fell by 0.3 per cent for the quarter, the seventh consecutive quarter of contraction. Over the yr, the measure was down 1.5 per cent – signalling declining common earnings.
- Australia’s Phrases of Commerce (seasonally adjusted) fell by 2.5 per cent for the quarter and had been down by 3.9 per cent over the 12 month interval.
- Actual internet nationwide disposable earnings, which is a broader measure of change in nationwide financial well-being, rose by 0.5 per cent for the quarter and 0.4 per cent over the 12 months.
- The Family saving ratio (from disposable earnings) rose to three.2 per cent (from 2.4).
Total development image – development continues at a lot slower price
The ABS – Media Launch – stated that:
Australian gross home product (GDP) rose 0.3 per cent within the September quarter 2024 and by 0.8 per cent since September 2023 (seasonally adjusted, chain quantity measure …
… The Australian economic system grew for the twelfth quarter in a row, however has continued to sluggish since September 2023.”
The power this quarter was pushed by public sector expenditure with Authorities consumption and public funding each contributing to development.
GDP per capita fell by 0.3 per cent, falling for the seventh straight quarter …
Public funding rose 6.3 per cent within the September quarter …
Family spending was flat within the September quarter following a fall of 0.3 per cent in June …
The family saving ratio rose to three.2 per cent within the September quarter …
The quick story:
1. The weak point in personal home demand is pushing the economic system in direction of recession and the one buffer in opposition to that decline is the federal government sector and we discovered yesterday that “whole public demand is predicted to contribute 0.7ppt to the quarterly change in GDP” because the fiscal place moved from surplus to deficit (Supply).
2. We additionally discovered yesterday that the commerce surplus has virtually evaporated and the general exterior place recorded a rising deficit ($A14.1 billion) because of the web main earnings deficit of $A17.3 billion) (Supply). Additional, the “$0.8 billion rise in internet commerce (seasonally adjusted, chain quantity measure) is predicted so as to add 0.1 share factors to the September quarter 2024 Gross Home Product (GDP) motion.”
3. There was no development in family consumption expenditure.
4. Non-public funding expenditure development could be very modest (plus 1 per cent for the quarter and largely because of new dwelling development.
5. The expansion in authorities spending was largely as a result of vitality rebates designed to scale back the cost-of-living pressures arising from the worth gouging that the privatised vitality corporations have indulged in over the past a number of years. The federal government is refusing to take care of the businesses straight and prefers to provide them a subsidy in order that the burden on households and the political fallout is lowered.
6. Import expenditure fell because of flat consumption development (significantly falling demand for electrical autos).
7. Nevertheless, given the decline in non-government spending development, the present fiscal settings are approach too restrictive and when mixed with the tight financial settings, it’s clear that the Authorities, general, is intentionally sabotaging the fabric well-being of hundreds of thousands of Australians below the veil of ‘combating inflation’, which might have returned to pre-COVID ranges anyway, with out the austerity.
8. That time is demonstrated by the on-going per capita recession which masks how dangerous issues are given the extremely skewed earnings distribution (the top-end of the distribution are usually not bearing the burden).
The primary graph reveals the quarterly development over the past 5 years.
Right here is similar graph with the acute observations in the course of the worst a part of the COVID restrictions and authorities earnings help taken out.
To place this into historic context, the subsequent graph reveals the last decade common annual actual GDP development price because the Nineteen Sixties (the horizontal pink line is the typical for the complete interval (3.26 per cent) from the March-quarter 1960 to the September-quarter 2024).
The 2020-to-now common has been dominated by the pandemic.
However because the earlier graph reveals, the interval after the most important well being restrictions had been lifted generated decrease development in comparison with the interval when the restrictions had been in place.
If we take the observations between the September-quarter 2020 and the September-quarter 2022, then the typical since 2020 has been 1.8 per cent each year.
It is usually apparent how far beneath historic developments the expansion efficiency of the final 2 a long time have been because the fiscal surplus obsession has intensified on either side of politics.
Even with a large family credit score binge and a once-in-a-hundred-years mining growth that was pushed by stratospheric actions in our phrases of commerce, our actual GDP development has declined considerably beneath the long-term efficiency.
The Nineteen Sixties was the final decade the place authorities maintained true full employment.
A GDP per capita recession – deepening
GDP per capita fell for the seventh consecutive quarter, which signifies that whole output averaged out over the complete inhabitants contracted for the final 21 months of 2023.
Some take into account this to be a deepening recession though what the typical truly means is questionable.
With the extremely skewed earnings distribution in direction of the highest finish, what we will say if the typical is declining, these on the backside are doing it very robust certainly.
The next graph of actual GDP per capita (which omits the pandemic restriction quarters between September-quarter 2020 and December-quarter 2021) tells the story.
Evaluation of Expenditure Elements
The next graph reveals the quarterly share development for the most important expenditure parts in actual phrases for the June-quarter 2024 (gray bars) and the September-quarter 2024 (blue bars).
The contribution of presidency funding and consumption expenditure saved the economic system from recession within the September-quarter 2024.
Contributions to development
What parts of expenditure added to and subtracted from the change in actual GDP development within the September-quarter 2024?
The next bar graph reveals the contributions to actual GDP development (in share factors) for the primary expenditure classes. It compares the September-quarter 2024 contributions (blue bars) with the earlier quarter (grey bars).
The standout is the contribution of the federal government sector – each recurrent expenditure (0.3 factors) and capital expenditure (0.3 level).
With out that it’s probably family consumption development would have contracted much more than it did and the economic system would have entered a GDP-recession.
Materials dwelling requirements rose in September-quarter and for the yr general
The ABS inform us that:
A broader measure of change in nationwide financial well-being is Actual internet nationwide disposable earnings. This measure adjusts the quantity measure of GDP for the Phrases of commerce impact, Actual internet incomes from abroad and Consumption of fastened capital.
Whereas actual GDP development (that’s, whole output produced in quantity phrases) rose by 0.3 per cent within the September-quarter, actual internet nationwide disposable earnings development rose by 0.5 per cent.
How can we clarify that?
Reply: Whereas the phrases of commerce fell by 2.5 per cent within the September-quarter, “Compensation of staff (COE) elevated 1.4%” and “Gross disposable earnings rose 1.5% as gross earnings rose and earnings payable fell.”
Family saving ratio rose to three.2 per cent from 2.4 per cent
The RBA has been making an attempt to wipe out the family saving buffers because it hiked rates of interest hoping that this would scale back the chance of recession.
After all, that course of has attacked the lower-end of the wealth and earnings distribution, given the rising rates of interest have poured hundreds of thousands into these with interest-rate delicate monetary belongings.
The next graph reveals the family saving ratio (% of disposable earnings) from the December-quarter 2000 to the present interval.
It reveals the interval main as much as the GFC, the place the credit score binge was in full swing and the saving ratio was detrimental to the rise in the course of the GFC after which the newest rise.
The present place is that households are being squeezed by a mixture of rising dwelling prices, elevated rates of interest and low wages development, which is forcing households to scale back their financial savings price to take care of expenditure on necessities.
The following graph reveals the saving ratio since 1960, which illustrates the way in which wherein the neoliberal interval has squeezed family saving.
Going again to the pre-GFC interval, the family saving ratio was detrimental and consumption development was maintained by growing debt – which is an unsustainable technique provided that family debt so excessive.
Households are actually reducing again on consumption spending and that may in the end drive the economic system into recession except the federal government help continues at growing ranges.
The next desk reveals the affect of the neoliberal period on family saving. These patterns are replicated around the globe and expose our economies to the specter of monetary crises rather more than in pre-neoliberal a long time.
The outcome for the present decade (2020-) is the typical from June 2020.
| Decade | Common Family Saving Ratio (% of disposable earnings) |
| Nineteen Sixties | 14.4 |
| Nineteen Seventies | 16.2 |
| Nineteen Eighties | 11.9 |
| Nineteen Nineties | 5.0 |
| 2000s | 1.4 |
| 2010s | 6.7 |
| 2020s on | 8.9 |
| Since RBA hikes | 3.0 |
Actual GDP development rose however hours labored rose extra and productiveness development declined
Actual GDP rose 0.3 factors within the quarter, whereas working hours rose by 0.5 per cent.
Which signifies that GDP per hour labored fell by 0.4 factors for the quarter – that’s, a lower in labour productiveness.
During the last 12 months, productiveness development averaged -0.7 per cent on the again of weaker output development and stronger hours development.
The next graph presents quarterly development charges in actual GDP and hours labored utilizing the Nationwide Accounts knowledge for the final 5 years to the September-quarter 2024.
To see the above graph from a distinct perspective, the subsequent graph reveals the annual development in GDP per hour labored (labour productiveness) from the September-quarter 2008 quarter to the September-quarter 2024.
The horizontal pink line is the typical annual development because the March-quarter 2008 (0.8 per cent), which itself is an understated measure of the long-term pattern development of round 1.5 per cent each year.
The comparatively robust development in labour productiveness in 2012 and the largely above common development in 2013 and 2014 helps clarify why employment development was lagging given the true GDP development. Progress in labour productiveness signifies that for every output degree much less labour is required.
The distribution of nationwide earnings – wage share rises barely
The wage share in nationwide earnings rose to 53.5 per cent (up 0.7 factors) whereas the revenue share fell to 27.9 per cent (down 0.9 factors).
The distinction is the rise within the authorities share.
The primary graph reveals the wage share in nationwide earnings whereas the second reveals the revenue share.
The declining share of wages traditionally is a product of neoliberalism and can in the end must be reversed if Australia is to take pleasure in sustainable rises in requirements of dwelling with out file ranges of family debt being relied on for consumption development.
Conclusion
Do not forget that the Nationwide Accounts knowledge is three months previous – a rear-vision view – of what has handed and to make use of it to foretell future developments is just not simple.
So within the September-quarter, the Australian economic system stays simply out of recession after rising by 0.3 per cent.
The one supply of expenditure maintaining GDP development constructive is coming from authorities – each recurrent and funding.
The biggest part of nationwide expenditure – family consumption spending – was flat.
Nevertheless, fiscal coverage is just not expansionary sufficient and on the present development price, unemployment will rise.
Total fiscal coverage and financial coverage are squeezing family expenditure and the contribution of direct authorities spending, whereas constructive, won’t be adequate to fill the increasing non-government spending hole.
And that can be a deliberate act from our coverage makers.
That’s sufficient for right this moment!
(c) Copyright 2024 William Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.