Northern Beaches Council area

Employment by industry (Census)

Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer in the Northern Beaches Council area, 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 the Northern Beaches Council area 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 Northern Beaches Council area.

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
Northern Beaches Council area20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. New South WalesNumber%. New South Wales2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing4090.42.03880.42.2+21
Mining1090.10.9810.10.9+28
Manufacturing5,7485.85.55,2055.95.9+543
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services5330.51.04680.50.9+65
Construction8,8659.08.67,6848.78.4+1,181
Wholesale Trade3,9634.02.94,4895.13.1-526
Retail Trade11,88812.19.011,14012.69.7+748
Accommodation and Food Services7,5937.76.27,5178.57.1+76
Transport, Postal and Warehousing2,6502.74.61,9492.24.7+701
Information Media and Telecommunications1,7721.81.91,6541.92.2+118
Financial and Insurance Services2,5082.65.31,8682.15.0+640
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services2,0322.11.71,8992.21.8+133
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services10,18510.48.98,4669.68.1+1,719
Administrative and Support Services2,8372.93.22,7533.13.5+84
Public Administration and Safety2,7742.85.82,7683.15.9+6
Education and Training8,9279.18.77,9439.08.3+984
Health Care and Social Assistance14,56414.814.411,45813.012.5+3,106
Arts and Recreation Services1,7271.81.41,6951.91.5+32
Other Services4,0184.13.43,9794.53.7+39
Industry not classified5,2395.34.64,8305.54.7+409
Total persons98,335100.0100.088,234100.0100.0+10,101

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 Northern Beaches Council area in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (14,564 people or 14.8%)
  • Retail Trade (11,888 people or 12.1%)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (10,185 people or 10.4%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 36,637 people in total or 37.3% of the local workers.

In comparison, New South Wales employed 14.4% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 9.0% in Retail Trade and 8.9% in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of the Northern Beaches Council area and New South Wales were:

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Retail Trade (12.1% compared to 9.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Public Administration and Safety (2.8% compared to 5.8%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Financial and Insurance Services (2.6% compared to 5.3%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Transport, Postal and Warehousing (2.7% compared to 4.6%)

Emerging groups

The largest changes in the jobs held by local workers between 2016 and 2021 in the Northern Beaches Council area were for those employed in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+3,106 local workers)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+1,719 local workers)
  • Construction (+1,181 local workers)
  • Education and Training (+984 local workers)

Northern Beaches Council

economic profile