National statistics show income and expenses rising over past five years but operating profits take recent hit
May 30, 2013
Despite a gradual rise in most company indicators over the five years 2011-12, operating profits before tax fell in that year for the broad transport and logistics industry.
In that year, the percentage of industry firms that made a loss rose from 12.5 to 16 percent.
The outcome is found in Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
figures released this week on the economic and financial performance of industry.
They paint a picture of steady, though occasionally uneven, growth on all recorded measures for the ‘Transport, Postal and Warehousing’ sector.
Operating profits before tax fell from $13 billion in 2007-8 to $11.5 billion the following year, growing again over the next two years to $13.7 billion before slumping again in 2011-12 to $12.2 billion.
Total industry sales and service income, which includes rent, leasing and hiring income, rose from nearly $119 billion close to about $143 billion, while total income rose from a touch under $130 billion to almost $150 billion.
Against that, total expenses rose from $117 billion to just under $137 billion, with wages showing a clean pair of heels, rising from $25 billion to $31.5 billion.
While there has been much debate on recruitment issues, the industry was still able to grow its workforce marginally, from 556,000 to 567,000.
The full report can be found here.
http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/EFF7FEFB11C4DF18CA257B780025F313/$File/81550_2011-12.pdf