Shire of East Pilbara

Employment by industry (Census)

Mining is the largest employer in the Shire of East Pilbara, making up 69.5% of total employment.

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

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:
reset
Did you know? By clicking/tapping on a data row in the table you will be able to see sub categories.
Employment (Census) by industry sector
Shire of East Pilbara20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. Western AustraliaNumber%. Western Australia2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing1040.62.31050.72.5-1
Mining12,06569.57.710,31773.66.6+1,748
Manufacturing1420.85.31250.95.6+17
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services1310.81.2870.61.2+44
Construction1,4198.28.85974.39.9+822
Wholesale Trade2691.52.41170.82.5+152
Retail Trade2011.28.71791.39.5+22
Accommodation and Food Services6884.06.54863.56.4+202
Transport, Postal and Warehousing2331.34.51611.14.6+72
Information Media and Telecommunications80.00.8110.11.0-3
Financial and Insurance Services90.12.1210.12.3-12
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1300.71.4880.61.7+42
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services1721.06.9940.76.4+78
Administrative and Support Services5213.03.14793.43.3+42
Public Administration and Safety2011.25.91761.36.2+25
Education and Training2501.48.72501.88.7--
Health Care and Social Assistance2211.313.61521.111.7+69
Arts and Recreation Services460.31.6150.11.6+31
Other Services2091.23.92852.03.9-76
Industry not classified3622.14.62812.04.6+81
Total persons17,368100.0100.014,026100.0100.0+3,342

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.
loading animation
loading animation

Dominant groups

An analysis of the jobs held by the local workers in the Shire of East Pilbara in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Mining (12,065 people or 69.5%)
  • Construction (1,419 people or 8.2%)
  • Accommodation and Food Services (688 people or 4.0%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 14,172 people in total or 81.6% of the local workers.

In comparison, Western Australia employed 7.7% in Mining; 8.8% in Construction and 6.5% in Accommodation and Food Services.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of the Shire of East Pilbara and Western Australia were:

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Mining (69.5% compared to 7.7%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Health Care and Social Assistance (1.3% compared to 13.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Retail Trade (1.2% compared to 8.7%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Education and Training (1.4% compared to 8.7%)

Emerging groups

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

  • Mining (+1,748 local workers)
  • Construction (+822 local workers)
  • Accommodation and Food Services (+202 local workers)
  • Wholesale Trade (+152 local workers)

Shire of East Pilbara

economic profile