Job seeker compliance data

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations publishes reports on a range of job seeker compliance data.

On this page:

Targeted Compliance Framework (TCF)

The department reports on a range of key TCF statistics, including:

  • job seeker/participant zone status
  • zone transitions
  • payment suspensions
  • demerits
  • capability reviews
  • applied financial penalties

Metadata is now available for some releases. Click on the ‘Associated metadata’ link beside a release to see the metadata for that release.

Latest report

Note: With the commencement of Workforce Australia in July 2022 job seeker compliance data will now be published every 3 months and include additional compliance information not previously published.

Historical Job Seeker Compliance Data

Historical data on the operation of the job seeker compliance framework, for all activity tested job seekers, between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2022.

With the implementation of Workforce Australia from 1 July 2022, all transitioning participants commenced in the “Green Zone” of the Targeted Compliance Framework. During the first 3 months in Workforce Australia in 2022 (from July to September), participants were given two months to adapt to the new program as a result no compliance was applied for failing to meet their PBAS targets. Subsequently, if participants didn’t meet their PBAS requirements for the first period they were given a “light touch” application of the TCF, this enabled participants to gain an understanding of PBAS before compliance was applied. As such, there is limited data for this period.

Note: This data was republished in August 2024 to expand the number of tables provided. Additionally, the methodology used to calculate figures has been updated to align with other reporting products. Consequently, some figures presented in this report vary slightly from previous publications.

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

A high degree of caution should be exercised in using the historical data on this site to make comparisons between the former framework and the TCF.

The TCF legislative and administrative arrangements made fundamental changes to the job seeker compliance framework from 1 July 2018, including the introduction of new elements (e.g. zones, demerits, capability reviews) that have no direct comparator under previous framework, and the removal of many elements of the previous framework (e.g. non-attendance reports, provider appointment reports, connection failures, penalty waivers).

The limited number of data items that nominally appear in both the bi-annual TCF series and the historical quarterly time series (e.g. applied financial penalties, income support payment suspensions, procedural errors) relate to significantly different populations (e.g. CDP participants are not covered by the TCF) and/or reflect distinct framework objectives, processes and structures (e.g. The TCF introduced a more expansive range of payment suspension triggers designed to prompt re engagement, together with simpler, fairer, arrangements for determining persistent non-compliance).

Such factors should be considered where seeking to make pre and post 1 July 2018 comparisons of the data.

Please contact jscompliance@dewr.gov.au with any questions relating to job seeker compliance data series, before or after 1 July 2018.

Changes to Historical Job Seeker Compliance Data

The historical quarterly data series relates to activity-tested job seekers under former job seeker compliance framework arrangements.

Certain elements of the data were broken down by:

  • Gender
  • Indigenous and Non Indigenous status
  • Age group
  • Employment Services Programme
  • Payment Type

The Independent Review of the Job Seeker Compliance Framework (Disney Review), which reported to Parliament on 30 September 2010, recommended the prompt publication of data and that updates be made to the tables contained in the Statistical Annexure to the Report of the Independent Review. The original version of the tables in the data annexure can be found within the Report of the Independent Review.

Pursuant to those recommendations, from the September quarter 2010 the department added a series of new tables to the quarterly data to reflect legislative changes to the compliance framework introduced from 1 July 2009 and reflected in the Statistical Annexure. Existing data tables on Financial Penalties, Connection Failures and Comprehensive Compliance Assessment outcomes were complemented by new data tables on:

  • Number of Active and Suspended Job Seekers;
  • Job Seekers with a Vulnerability Indicator;
  • Appointment Attendance;
  • Participation Reports and Contact Requests;
  • Reasons for Participation Reports Submitted;
  • Centrelink Responses to Participation Reports;
  • Centrelink Reasons for Rejecting Participation Reports;
  • Number of Participation Reports per Job Seeker; and
  • Serious Failure Waivers.

Commencing from the June Quarter of 2011-12, the methodology for extracting attendance data was enhanced to capture all appointment types (including DES appointments) for which job seekers could incur a failure. Back-casted data on attendance rates to 2008-09, using both the previous and new methodologies, was published separately by the department.

From the September Quarter 2011, two additional tables were included relating to new legislative compliance arrangements for job seekers introduced from 1 July 2011. These new tables included data on the number of Income Support Payment Suspensions for non-attendance at appointments/activities, and Services Australia reasons for applying Participation Reports (in relation to job seeker prior notice of non-attendance). From the September Quarter 2014, data on Non-Attendance Reports, newly introduced to the compliance framework, were added to the report.

From the September Quarter 2015, further changes were made (including in relation to introduction of data on re-engagement appointments, Provider Appointment Reports, and non-attendance failures), to reflect legislative changes to the compliance framework introduced on 1 July 2015.