MacroBusiness Access Subscriber Only Content Westpac with the note: Headline Weekly Payroll jobs estimates rose 0.4% between April 24 and April 10. Total wages paid by employers rose by 0.3%. For the second fortnight in a row, seasonal factors associated with shifting school holidays have made it difficult to obtain a clear read on the impact of the ending of JobKeeper. However, despite these distortions, we believe there are signs that April was a softer month for jobs growth. NSW was the weakest state in April State data cautions that, whilst school holidays may have been a significant factor in distorting payroll numbers, the greater than average weakness in NSW suggests something else might also be at play. Taking monthly averages, which should capture a more even effect of school holidays in each state, there was a much larger fall in NSW (-1.2%) than observed across other states; a more average fall in Victoria, Qld and ACT (-1.0%); and a smaller than average fall in SA (-0.8%), WA and Tasmania (both -0.6%).