Canberra Region

Employment by industry (FTE)

In the Canberra Region, Construction is the largest employer, generating 17,750 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 the Canberra Region.

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 the Canberra Region'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.
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Full-time equivalent employment by industry sector
Canberra Region2021/222016/17Change
IndustryNumber%. NSWNumber%. NSW2016/17 - 2021/22
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing8,1278.02.59,55410.62.6-1,426
Mining8040.81.26290.71.3+175
Manufacturing6,8136.76.66,9887.77.7-176
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services1,8161.81.31,3401.51.1+476
Construction17,75017.49.510,38011.510.0+7,370
Wholesale Trade2,3442.33.31,8192.03.7+525
Retail Trade8,2118.18.38,6639.68.3-452
Accommodation and Food Services7,6607.54.87,7588.65.6-98
Transport, Postal and Warehousing3,7713.75.24,2734.75.7-502
Information Media and Telecommunications8710.92.46760.72.6+195
Financial and Insurance Services1,0641.06.19951.15.2+69
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1,5131.51.91,3571.51.8+156
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services4,8014.711.23,8114.210.4+990
Administrative and Support Services3,0783.03.02,4712.73.2+607
Public Administration and Safety7,0716.96.25,8196.45.7+1,252
Education and Training7,5557.48.26,8907.67.8+665
Health Care and Social Assistance12,35012.113.111,32612.611.8+1,024
Arts and Recreation Services1,5301.51.41,9962.21.5-467
Other Services4,7664.73.73,4753.93.8+1,290
Total industries101,893100.0100.090,221100.0100.0+11,672

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 the Canberra Region in 2021/22 shows the three largest industries were:

  • Construction (17,750 people or 17.4%)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (12,350 people or 12.1%)
  • Retail Trade (8,211 people or 8.1%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 38,311 people in total or 37.6% of the local workers.

In comparison, NSW employed 9.5% in Construction; 13.1% in Health Care and Social Assistance and 8.3% in Retail Trade.

The major differences between the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers of the Canberra Region and NSW were:

  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Construction (17.4% compared to 9.5%)
  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (4.7% compared to 11.2%)
  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (8.0% compared to 2.5%)
  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Financial and Insurance Services (1.0% compared to 6.1%)

Emerging groups

The number of full-time equivalent local workers in the Canberra Region increased by increased by 11,672 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 the Canberra Region were for those employed in:

  • Construction (+7,370 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Other Services (+1,290 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Public Administration and Safety (+1,252 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+1,024 full-time equivalent local workers)

Canberra Region Joint Organisation area

economic profile