Greater Brisbane

Employment by industry (Census)

Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer in the Greater Brisbane, making up 15.6% of total employment.

Census employment data presents the number of persons employed in each industry sector (full-time and part-time) in the Greater Brisbane 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 the Greater Brisbane.

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 area:
Current benchmark:
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Employment (Census) by industry sector
Greater Brisbane20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. QueenslandNumber%. Queensland2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing9,5740.82.69,3900.92.8+184
Mining10,7340.92.29,8841.02.3+850
Manufacturing73,4496.25.868,5706.66.0+4,879
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services14,4811.21.211,5181.11.1+2,963
Construction87,0577.39.174,2797.28.9+12,778
Wholesale Trade31,7692.72.331,4853.02.6+284
Retail Trade110,1139.29.3101,7519.89.9+8,362
Accommodation and Food Services78,4846.67.269,0416.77.4+9,443
Transport, Postal and Warehousing64,0595.44.759,5675.75.1+4,492
Information Media and Telecommunications13,4031.10.914,7431.41.2-1,340
Financial and Insurance Services40,8333.42.535,3253.42.5+5,508
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services21,8751.81.821,6142.12.0+261
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services105,2548.86.783,9568.16.2+21,298
Administrative and Support Services36,7143.13.433,1083.23.5+3,606
Public Administration and Safety83,9957.06.177,1487.46.5+6,847
Education and Training110,8639.38.997,9979.49.0+12,866
Health Care and Social Assistance186,18215.615.4140,03113.513.0+46,151
Arts and Recreation Services17,6791.51.515,4871.51.6+2,192
Other Services45,1923.83.939,2693.83.9+5,923
Industry not classified52,5564.44.543,7404.24.3+8,816
Total persons1,194,277100.0100.01,037,906100.0100.0+156,371

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 the Greater Brisbane in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (186,182 people or 15.6%)
  • Education and Training (110,863 people or 9.3%)
  • Retail Trade (110,113 people or 9.2%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 407,158 people in total or 34.1% of the local workers.

In comparison, Queensland employed 15.4% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 8.9% in Education and Training and 9.3% in Retail Trade.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of the Greater Brisbane and Queensland were:

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (8.8% compared to 6.7%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Construction (7.3% compared to 9.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (0.8% compared to 2.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Mining (0.9% compared to 2.2%)

Emerging groups

The largest changes in the jobs held by local workers between 2016 and 2021 in the Greater Brisbane were for those employed in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+46,151 local workers)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+21,298 local workers)
  • Education and Training (+12,866 local workers)
  • Construction (+12,778 local workers)

City of Brisbane

economic profile