Cairns

Industry composition

In 2023, the Household services sector accounted for 44.8% of employment in Cairns. The importance of this sector has increased over the last 10 years (38.1% in 2012)

Understanding the economic role of Cairns Regional Council provides a framework for understanding what policy responses and investment may be appropriate to support the growth of businesses and maintenance of a vibrant economy in the future.

The charts and table below give a broad overview of the role and function of your economy. It helps answer questions such as:

  • How much of Cairns's economy is driven by meeting the local population needs?
  • What proportion of jobs in the area are in goods production or selling of products?
  • In which broad sectors are the key strengths of the local economy?
  • What contribution do business services make in your area and is it growing?
  • Is there a presence of local, state and federal government workers in in the area?

Once you have developed a broad picture of your economy, you can then drill down further with all the detail here.

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Employment composition
Cairns202320172012
Industrynumber%. number%. number%.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing1,2701.41,3021.71,0681.5
Mining3400.42710.43900.5
Goods related28,74832.525,86133.627,11237.3
Household services39,63244.832,47942.227,67838.1
Business services11,87513.410,87614.110,34414.2
Public administration and safety6,6987.66,2198.16,0338.3
Total Industries88,563100.077,008100.072,625100.0

Source: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) ©2024. ©2023. Compiled and presented in economy.id by .id (informed decisions). Data are based on a 2020-21 price base for all years. NIEIR-ID data are inflation adjusted each year to allow direct comparison, and annual data releases adjust previous years’ figures to a new base year.Learn more.

Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Cairns Regional Council

economic profile