RDA Darling Downs and South West Region

Employment by industry (FTE)

In the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region, Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer, generating 17,806 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 RDA Darling Downs and South West 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 RDA Darling Downs and South West 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.
Current area:
Current benchmark:
Comparison year:
reset
Did you know? By clicking/tapping on a data row in the table you will be able to see sub categories.
Full-time equivalent employment by industry sector
RDA Darling Downs and South West Region2021/222016/17Change
IndustryNumber%. QueenslandNumber%. Queensland2016/17 - 2021/22
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing14,36311.63.114,70612.33.2-343
Mining4,5723.73.45,9665.03.2-1,395
Manufacturing10,8598.87.38,6047.27.5+2,255
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services2,8692.31.42,6322.21.3+237
Construction11,8179.610.511,1509.411.0+667
Wholesale Trade3,9623.22.93,5293.03.0+433
Retail Trade10,1528.28.09,4808.08.8+671
Accommodation and Food Services5,2574.35.55,4894.65.8-232
Transport, Postal and Warehousing5,7524.75.77,1936.06.1-1,441
Information Media and Telecommunications6380.51.29950.81.5-358
Financial and Insurance Services2,2731.82.72,1511.82.7+122
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1,4741.22.01,8691.62.2-395
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services4,8904.08.15,7734.87.3-883
Administrative and Support Services2,7982.32.92,1521.83.1+646
Public Administration and Safety6,5735.36.77,1806.06.8-607
Education and Training10,8098.88.810,0198.48.3+790
Health Care and Social Assistance17,80614.414.413,90011.712.2+3,906
Arts and Recreation Services9320.81.31,0150.91.6-84
Other Services5,5824.54.25,3524.54.2+230
Total industries123,375100.0100.0119,156100.0100.0+4,219

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.
loading animation
loading animation

Dominant groups

An analysis of the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers in the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region in 2021/22 shows the three largest industries were:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (17,806 people or 14.4%)
  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (14,363 people or 11.6%)
  • Construction (11,817 people or 9.6%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 43,986 people in total or 35.7% of the local workers.

In comparison, Queensland employed 14.4% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 3.1% in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing and 10.5% in Construction.

The major differences between the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers of the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region and Queensland were:

  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (11.6% compared to 3.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (4.0% compared to 8.1%)
  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Manufacturing (8.8% compared to 7.3%)
  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Public Administration and Safety (5.3% compared to 6.7%)

Emerging groups

The number of full-time equivalent local workers in the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region increased by increased by 4,219 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 RDA Darling Downs and South West Region were for those employed in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+3,906 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Manufacturing (+2,255 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Education and Training (+790 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Retail Trade (+671 full-time equivalent local workers)

RDA Darling Downs and South West Region

economic profile