Byron Shire

Employment by industry (Census)

Accommodation and Food Services is the largest employer in Byron Shire, making up 14.8% of total employment.

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

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
Byron Shire20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. New South WalesNumber%. New South Wales2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing5403.22.05103.92.2+30
Mining170.10.9130.10.9+4
Manufacturing8385.05.56645.15.9+174
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services1210.71.0820.60.9+39
Construction1,3908.38.69197.18.4+471
Wholesale Trade3031.82.93172.43.1-14
Retail Trade2,00412.09.01,59612.39.7+408
Accommodation and Food Services2,46114.86.21,88714.67.1+574
Transport, Postal and Warehousing3482.14.63853.04.7-37
Information Media and Telecommunications2361.41.91531.22.2+83
Financial and Insurance Services2371.45.31921.55.0+45
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services3552.11.73072.41.8+48
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services1,3007.88.98736.78.1+427
Administrative and Support Services5513.33.25254.13.5+26
Public Administration and Safety5083.15.84033.15.9+105
Education and Training1,4288.68.71,1208.68.3+308
Health Care and Social Assistance1,95811.814.41,44411.112.5+514
Arts and Recreation Services3932.41.43162.41.5+77
Other Services5883.53.44793.73.7+109
Industry not classified1,0776.54.67726.04.7+305
Total persons16,647100.0100.012,957100.0100.0+3,690

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 Byron Shire in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Accommodation and Food Services (2,461 people or 14.8%)
  • Retail Trade (2,004 people or 12.0%)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (1,958 people or 11.8%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 6,423 people in total or 38.6% of the local workers.

In comparison, New South Wales employed 6.2% in Accommodation and Food Services; 9.0% in Retail Trade and 14.4% in Health Care and Social Assistance.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of Byron Shire and New South Wales were:

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Accommodation and Food Services (14.8% compared to 6.2%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Financial and Insurance Services (1.4% compared to 5.3%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Retail Trade (12.0% compared to 9.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Public Administration and Safety (3.1% compared to 5.8%)

Emerging groups

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

  • Accommodation and Food Services (+574 local workers)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+514 local workers)
  • Construction (+471 local workers)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+427 local workers)

Byron Shire

economic profile