Australian Industry Index®

The Australian Industry Index® is representative of the modern industrial ecosystem. It brings together the manufacturing, construction, engineering, technology and business services sectors – industries which together account for 36% of the Australian economy.

Recognising the heritage and importance of the Australian PMI® and Australia PCI®, both will continue as sub-indicators available within the Australian Industry Index®, however, there will no longer be separate release dates for these indexes.

The Australian Industry Index® is published on the first working Wednesday of each month (or the following working day if the Wednesday is a national holiday): Australian Industry Index release dates 2026


December / January 2026: Construction sector surges into the new year

Key findings

  • The Australian Industry Index® remained in contraction during Dec/Jan at -12.3 (seasonally adjusted).
  • Activity, employment, new orders, and input volumes contracted at the same rate as the previous month.
  • Construction activity rose with strong project inquiries, with the PCI indicator returning to positive territory for the first time in two years.
  • Metals and food industries posted stronger results during the holiday period, while machinery and chemicals reported seasonal slowdowns.
  • Most sub industries noted that rising higher input costs, taxes, regulatory pressures, and economic uncertainty impacted activity.

The Australian Industry Index® returned a similar result to November in the December/January period, at -12.3 points (seasonally adjusted   ). 

Economic Intelligence newsletter

February 2025

In the February edition of Economic Intelligence we cover:

  • Productivity takes another turn for the worse in 2024-25: Our research note explores what the data tells us about why Australian productivity is stuck in the doldrums and what we might do to turn the ship around.
  • Tracking Australian industry: Broad-based inflation returns; labour market tightened in December; private‑sector vacancies fell; casual employment continued to shrink; engineering activity weakened and government propped up economic growth.
  • Q&A with AustralianSuper: The Investment Team at AustralianSuper reflect on 2025 and share their views on the key drivers of investment performance.
  • Economic Forecasts: The RBA raised the cash rate to 3.85% in February in response to rising inflation and a tightening labour market, making it the first major central bank to act. The Bank’s forecasts suggest inflation will remain elevated and economic growth will soften over the coming year.

Detailed Index Data

Our reports and time series data for the Ai Group Australian Industry Index® are available free of charge to members at any time via email from our economics research team economics@australianindustrygroup.com.au. Our data is available to non-members on an annual subscription basis or a one-off purchase. Our data subscribers receive the report and time series data for the activity index, sector and selected states via email each month.

Email us to find out more about purchasing data

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Australian Industry Group is the peak membership body for Australian industry, linking you to the insights, services and expertise you need to be successful. As a member of Australian Industry Group, you are part of a powerful, credible and experienced industry community.