Australia’s Industry Index surged to -3.5 in August from a revised -26.3 in the prior month, its highest since February, signaling a sharp rebound in business conditions. Construction and business services led the recovery, buoyed by data centre projects. Activity and sales jumped 31.2 points to -2.2, new orders rose 15.9 points to -14.9, and employment gained 24.9 points to 3.0, all at their strongest since the energy crisis began. Firms reported mixed fortunes: some secured contracts and project wins, while others faced weaker sales and enquiries. Input volumes remained constrained by supply-chain disruptions, elevated costs, and geopolitical uncertainty. Pricing indicators diverged: input prices climbed 10.8 points to 68.0, while sales prices fell 13.1 points to 0.2, leaving a record 67.8-point margin gap. Average wages rose 16.9 points, reflecting annual increases at the start of the new financial year, underscoring persistent labor cost pressures despite headline improvement. source: Australian Industry Group

Industry Index in Australia increased to -3.50 points in August from -26.30 points in July of 2026. Industry Index in Australia averaged -9.33 points from 2020 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 23.00 points in May of 2021 and a record low of -43.60 points in April of 2020. This page includes a chart with historical data for Australia Ai Group Industry Index. Australia Ai Group Industry Index - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on September of 2026.

Industry Index in Australia increased to -3.50 points in August from -26.30 points in July of 2026. Industry Index in Australia is expected to be -4.00 points by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Australia Ai Group Industry Index is projected to trend around -10.00 points in 2027 and -7.00 points in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-08-04 11:00 PM
Ai Group Industry Index
Jul -29.9 -30.0 -27
2026-09-01 11:00 PM
Ai Group Industry Index
Aug -3.5 -26.2 -32
2026-10-06 10:00 PM
Ai Group Industry Index
Sep -3.5 -4


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bankruptcies 1211.00 1334.00 Companies Jul 2026
Building Capital Expenditure 2.10 -3.30 percent Jun 2026
NAB Business Confidence -8.00 -6.00 points Aug 2026
Business Inventories -0.20 0.70 percent Jun 2026
Capacity Utilization 79.40 74.00 percent Aug 2026
Passenger Car Sales 13592.00 13393.00 Units Aug 2026
Changes in Inventories 71.00 749.00 AUD Million Jun 2026
Composite Leading Indicator 100.04 100.06 points Aug 2026
Company Gross Profits 134696.00 132311.00 AUD Million Jun 2026
Corruption Index 76.00 77.00 Points Dec 2025
Corruption Rank 12.00 10.00 Dec 2025
Industrial Production 0.50 2.50 percent Jun 2026
Industrial Production Mom 0.20 -0.90 percent Jun 2026
Ai Group Industry Index -3.50 -26.30 points Aug 2026
Ai Group Services Index -0.20 -21.80 points Aug 2026
Ai Group Construction Index -6.90 -43.50 points Aug 2026
Ai Group Manufacturing Index -16.60 -19.30 points Aug 2026
Westpac Leading Index MoM 0.00 0.10 percent Jul 2026
Manufacturing Production 1.10 3.20 percent Jun 2026
Mining Production 0.30 3.10 percent Jun 2026
New Orders 33.00 33.00 points Mar 2026
Plant Machinery Capital Expenditure -8.90 18.40 percent Jun 2026
Private Capital Expenditure -3.60 6.90 percent Jun 2026
Small Business Sentiment -2.00 -8.00 points Sep 2025
New Vehicle Sales 100939.00 103656.00 Units Aug 2026


Australia Ai Group Industry Index
The Ai Group Australian Industry Index is a monthly index that measures changes in activity in Australia’s industrial sectors. It provides diffusion indices which measure rates of changes in the level of industrial activity – expansion, stability, or contraction. A positive reading indicates the activity is expanding; negative indicates contraction. The distance from 0 indicates the strength of the expansion or decline.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-3.50 -26.30 23.00 -43.60 2020 - 2026 points Monthly
SA

News Stream
Australia Industry Conditions Rebound
Australia’s Industry Index surged to -3.5 in August from a revised -26.3 in the prior month, its highest since February, signaling a sharp rebound in business conditions. Construction and business services led the recovery, buoyed by data centre projects. Activity and sales jumped 31.2 points to -2.2, new orders rose 15.9 points to -14.9, and employment gained 24.9 points to 3.0, all at their strongest since the energy crisis began. Firms reported mixed fortunes: some secured contracts and project wins, while others faced weaker sales and enquiries. Input volumes remained constrained by supply-chain disruptions, elevated costs, and geopolitical uncertainty. Pricing indicators diverged: input prices climbed 10.8 points to 68.0, while sales prices fell 13.1 points to 0.2, leaving a record 67.8-point margin gap. Average wages rose 16.9 points, reflecting annual increases at the start of the new financial year, underscoring persistent labor cost pressures despite headline improvement.
2026-09-01
Australia Industry Conditions Signals Persistent Weakness
Australia’s Industry Index stood at -29.9 in July 2026, little changed from -30.0 in June. The easing energy crisis offered limited relief, but elevated fuel costs continued to pressure operations. New orders improved slightly, rising 3.7 points to -32.8, while input volumes fell 6.1 points to -9.1, staying mildly contractionary on trend. Activity and sales dropped further to -34.8, reflecting subdued demand and restrained investment amid high costs. Employment eased to -23.0 after a volatile H1 2026, as firms grappled with labour shortages and rising wages. Cost pressures showed signs of relief: input prices slid 18.9 points to 53.9 from June’s record high, while sales prices eased to 15.1, suggesting stabilising price growth after Q2 volatility. Capacity utilisation edged up to 74.0%, though businesses continued to cite many challenges, including raw material, fuel and freight costs, regulatory burdens, labour shortages, weak capital investment, and rising land taxes.
2026-08-04
Australian Industry Conditions Inch Higher
Australia’s Industry Index edged up 0.5 points to -30.0 in June 2026, signaling modest relief as lower fuel prices eased energy-related pressures. Yet higher costs and lingering uncertainty kept conditions weak. New orders fell 5.1 points to -41.0, among the lowest since the pandemic, underscoring thin pipelines, delayed decisions, and weak enquiries. Input volumes rose 3.3 points but stayed flat on trend, while activity and sales eased 8.7 points to -42.4. Employment remained in contraction at -15.5, constrained by skilled labor shortages, rising wages, and hiring difficulties. Cost pressures intensified: input prices surged 15.8 points to 80.5, while sales prices added 1.0 point to 19.2, leaving a record 61.3-point margin gap. Capacity utilisation eased to 72.8%, weighed by high energy and input costs, freight disruptions, labor shortages, and regulatory hurdles. Looking ahead, subdued investment, tax burdens, and persistent uncertainty are expected to keep utilisation under strain.
2026-06-30