Business Turnover Dips Slightly in May as Arts Sector Slumps

Manufacturing and retail trade slumped in May, but gains in electricity, gas, water, waste services, and wholesale trade helped soften the overall decline.

A construction worker wearing a face mask stands near machinery on a construction site in the central business district (CBD) of Sydney on March 27, 2025. David Gray/AFP via Getty Images

Monthly business turnover dipped 0.1 percent in May 2025, marking the first decline since October last year, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

ABS head of business statistics Robert Ewing said the arts and recreation sector experienced the sharpest decline, falling 5.5 percent.