There are more jobs than before the pandemic, but payrolled employee number is down. Business by PATRICK COMMINS Premium Content Subscriber only The post JobKeeper decline continues as the number of payrolled jobs fell by 0.5 per cent over the fortnight to May 8 leaving 1.5 per cent fewer employees than in late March. The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed that accommodation and food services jobs led the decline, dropping by 3.8 per cent since the wage subsidy scheme came to a close. ABS head of labour statistics Bjorn Jervis said seasonal factors, including the impact of Easter holidays and short Covid-19 restrictions in some states, "may" have influenced payroll job levels since the wage subsidy ended.