Gold Coast City

Employment by industry (Census)

Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer in Gold Coast City, making up 15.4% of total employment.

Census employment data presents the number of persons employed in each industry sector (full-time and part-time) in Gold Coast City regardless of where they live. By comparing the number of jobs in each industry sector to a regional benchmark, you can clearly see local economic strengths and weaknesses. By looking at how the number of jobs in each industry is changing over time, you can track how the structure of the local economy is changing. Go to the Employment locations page to see where employment is taking place across Gold Coast City.

Note: Census employment figures are known to undercount employment by varying amounts depending on the Census year. All Census counts are an undercount of total population, and in addition, some people don’t state their workforce status or industry. Also counts by place of work exclude those with no fixed workplace address. For this reason, it is recommended that for total job numbers, users look at the Employment by industry (Total) modelled estimates which are updated on an annual basis, and based on the ABS Labour Force survey, less prone to undercount. The Census counts by industry are included here for a greater level of industry detail (3-digit ANZSIC).

Data source

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Census 2016 & 2021 – by place of work

Current benchmark:
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Employment (Census) by industry sector
Gold Coast City20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. QueenslandNumber%. Queensland2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing1,2570.52.61,2930.52.8-36
Mining7360.32.27130.32.3+23
Manufacturing16,8846.25.814,7126.26.0+2,172
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services1,7380.61.21,3100.61.1+428
Construction27,35010.09.121,9439.38.9+5,407
Wholesale Trade5,9012.22.35,7142.42.6+187
Retail Trade30,16511.09.327,59011.79.9+2,575
Accommodation and Food Services26,6369.77.224,99710.67.4+1,639
Transport, Postal and Warehousing8,6813.24.78,0653.45.1+616
Information Media and Telecommunications3,6631.30.93,7291.61.2-66
Financial and Insurance Services6,2982.32.55,7062.42.5+592
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services7,3822.71.87,3833.12.0-1
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services17,3906.36.714,2096.06.2+3,181
Administrative and Support Services9,7023.53.49,5044.03.5+198
Public Administration and Safety9,5513.56.18,6873.76.5+864
Education and Training24,0568.88.920,5188.79.0+3,538
Health Care and Social Assistance42,22315.415.430,57913.013.0+11,644
Arts and Recreation Services8,6233.11.57,6733.31.6+950
Other Services11,5214.23.99,2863.93.9+2,235
Industry not classified14,5995.34.511,9285.14.3+2,671
Total persons274,354100.0100.0235,539100.0100.0+38,815

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).

Please refer to specific data notes for more information
Did you know? By clicking/tapping on a category in the chart below you will be able to drilldown to the sub categories.
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Dominant groups

An analysis of the jobs held by the local workers in Gold Coast City in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (42,223 people or 15.4%)
  • Retail Trade (30,165 people or 11.0%)
  • Construction (27,350 people or 10.0%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 99,738 people in total or 36.4% of the local workers.

In comparison, Queensland employed 15.4% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 9.3% in Retail Trade and 9.1% in Construction.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of Gold Coast City and Queensland were:

  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Public Administration and Safety (3.5% compared to 6.1%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Accommodation and Food Services (9.7% compared to 7.2%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (0.5% compared to 2.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Mining (0.3% compared to 2.2%)

Emerging groups

The largest changes in the jobs held by local workers between 2016 and 2021 in Gold Coast City were for those employed in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+11,644 local workers)
  • Construction (+5,407 local workers)
  • Education and Training (+3,538 local workers)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+3,181 local workers)

Gold Coast City

economic profile