City of Adelaide

Employment by industry (Total)

In the City of Adelaide, Public Administration and Safety is the largest employer, generating 27,077 local jobs in 2021/22.

Employment (total) is the most accurate and up to date measure of the total number of people employed in the City of Adelaide. The statistics are modelled by NIEIR to correct for the known undercount of jobs recorded in the Census. They estimate the total number of persons employed in an industry sector (full-time and part-time) in the City of Adelaide regardless of where they live. They are updated annually.

By comparing the number of jobs in each industry sector to a regional benchmark, you can clearly see the structure of the City of Adelaide's economy. This can be done by directly comparing the area to its benchmark, or by using a location quotient to look at the relative size of industries.

Estimated total employment by industry should not be considered as a "Full-Time Equivalent" measure as different industries will have different ratios of part-time and full time employees. Full-time employment by industry statistics are also available.

To see how employment is distributed across the area, see the Employment locations section and to see where people come from to work in these industries, these data should be viewed in conjunction with Workers place of residence by industry data.

More granular sub-categories for each industry sector are available in the Employment by industry (Census) counts. While Census figures undercount employment they do provide a more detailed picture of the specific industries operating in the area.

Data source

National Economics (NIEIR) - Modelled series

Please note – Detailed notes about how the figures are derived can be found in the specific topic notes section.
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Employment (total) by industry
City of Adelaide2021/222016/17Change
IndustryNumber%. South AustraliaNumber%. South Australia2016/17 - 2021/22
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing2430.23.71650.14.1+78
Mining1,8251.21.61,6571.21.4+168
Manufacturing1,6521.08.11,4841.19.1+168
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services2,9111.81.32,4451.81.4+466
Construction6,0003.88.75,3273.97.9+673
Wholesale Trade1,4370.92.51,7551.32.9-318
Retail Trade6,2574.09.57,2055.310.8-948
Accommodation and Food Services10,2406.56.39,5487.06.4+692
Transport, Postal and Warehousing2,2051.44.42,4311.84.6-226
Information Media and Telecommunications5,4513.51.35,4354.01.5+16
Financial and Insurance Services12,9808.22.911,0368.12.7+1,945
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services2,4661.61.32,4951.81.5-29
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services26,07916.67.018,62813.76.0+7,451
Administrative and Support Services5,4903.53.74,9623.73.7+529
Public Administration and Safety27,07717.27.023,39517.26.9+3,682
Education and Training12,7658.18.611,4128.48.6+1,352
Health Care and Social Assistance25,64316.316.619,72214.514.8+5,920
Arts and Recreation Services3,8052.41.43,7542.81.6+52
Other Services2,9721.94.12,8352.14.0+137
Total industries157,498100.0100.0135,691100.0100.0+21,807

Source: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) ©2023. Compiled and presented in economy.id by .id (informed decisions). NIEIR-ID data are adjusted each year, using updated employment estimates. Each release may change previous years’ figures. Learn more

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 the City of Adelaide in 2021/22 shows the three largest industries were:

  • Public Administration and Safety (27,077 people or 17.2%)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (26,079 people or 16.6%)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (25,643 people or 16.3%)

In combination these three industries accounted for 78,798 people in total or 50.0% of the local workers.

In comparison, South Australia employed 7.0% in Public Administration and Safety; 7.0% in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services and 16.6% in Health Care and Social Assistance.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of the City of Adelaide and South Australia were:

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Public Administration and Safety (17.2% compared to 7.0%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (16.6% compared to 7.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Manufacturing (1.0% compared to 8.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Retail Trade (4.0% compared to 9.5%)

Emerging groups

The number of local workers in the City of Adelaide increased by 21,807 between 2016/17 and 2021/22.

  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+7,451 local workers)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+5,920 local workers)
  • Public Administration and Safety (+3,682 local workers)
  • Financial and Insurance Services (+1,945 local workers)

City of Adelaide

economic profile