Cairns

Employment by industry (FTE)

In Cairns, Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer, generating 12,440 FTE jobs in 2021/22.

Full-time equivalent (FTE) employment is modelled by NIEIR and takes into account differences in hours worked between industry sectors. It is a measure that allows direct comparison of employment between industries in Cairns.

Typically, industries such as Retail Trade and Accommodation and Food Services, which employ many part-time workers, have lower FTE employment than total employment.

FTE employment is calculated directly by dividing the total hours worked in each industry by 38. By comparing the number of full-time equivalent jobs in each industry sector to a regional benchmark, you can clearly see the structure of Cairns'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.

FTE employment should be viewed in conjunction with Employment by industry (Total) and Employment by industry (Census), for a full understanding of the industry breakdown in the area. Worker productivity data shows the value of a worker in each industry to the local economy. Employment locations shows where employment is taking place in each industry sector.

Data source

National Economics (NIEIR) - Modelled series

Please note: FTE employment is derived from Census data but has been corrected for the known undercount of employment in the Census. Detailed notes about how the figures are derived can be found in thespecific topic notes section.
Current benchmark:
Comparison year:
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Full-time equivalent employment by industry sector
Cairns2021/222016/17Change
IndustryNumber%. QueenslandNumber%. Queensland2016/17 - 2021/22
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing1,1271.63.11,3232.03.2-196
Mining5990.93.44200.63.2+179
Manufacturing2,8334.17.33,6275.67.5-794
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services9611.41.47171.11.3+245
Construction6,8219.910.55,9349.111.0+887
Wholesale Trade1,6332.42.91,6262.53.0+7
Retail Trade6,0588.88.06,2919.78.8-233
Accommodation and Food Services5,7008.35.55,6348.75.8+66
Transport, Postal and Warehousing4,3106.35.74,6397.16.1-329
Information Media and Telecommunications6390.91.29421.51.5-303
Financial and Insurance Services9491.42.71,1571.82.7-208
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1,2441.82.01,3662.12.2-122
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services4,4376.58.13,4085.27.3+1,029
Administrative and Support Services2,2183.22.92,7054.23.1-487
Public Administration and Safety5,7208.36.75,4988.56.8+222
Education and Training6,8249.98.86,1799.58.3+645
Health Care and Social Assistance12,44018.114.49,35214.412.2+3,087
Arts and Recreation Services1,0091.51.31,2762.01.6-267
Other Services3,2064.74.22,8554.44.2+351
Total industries68,729100.0100.064,949100.0100.0+3,780

Source: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) ©2023. ©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 full-time equivalent local workers in Cairns in 2021/22 shows the three largest industries were:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (12,440 people or 18.1%)
  • Education and Training (6,824 people or 9.9%)
  • Construction (6,821 people or 9.9%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 26,085 people in total or 38.0% of the local workers.

In comparison, Queensland employed 14.4% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 8.8% in Education and Training and 10.5% in Construction.

The major differences between the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers of Cairns and Queensland were:

  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Health Care and Social Assistance (18.1% compared to 14.4%)
  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Manufacturing (4.1% compared to 7.3%)
  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Accommodation and Food Services (8.3% compared to 5.5%)
  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Mining (0.9% compared to 3.4%)

Emerging groups

The number of full-time equivalent local workers in Cairns increased by increased by 3,780 between 2016/17 and 2021/22.

The largest changes in the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers between 2016/17 and 2021/22 in Cairns were for those employed in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+3,087 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+1,029 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Construction (+887 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Education and Training (+645 full-time equivalent local workers)

Cairns Regional Council

economic profile