RDA Darling Downs and South West Region

Employment by industry (Census)

Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer in the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region, making up 16.3% of total employment.

Census employment data presents the number of persons employed in each industry sector (full-time and part-time) in the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region 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 RDA Darling Downs and South West Region.

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 area:
Current benchmark:
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Employment (Census) by industry sector
RDA Darling Downs and South West Region20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. QueenslandNumber%. Queensland2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing12,81610.22.612,93011.12.8-114
Mining2,7512.22.23,1442.72.3-393
Manufacturing7,9016.35.87,2686.26.0+633
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services2,1481.71.21,8451.61.1+303
Construction9,0127.29.18,4837.38.9+529
Wholesale Trade2,9712.42.33,2602.82.6-289
Retail Trade11,9499.59.311,3619.89.9+588
Accommodation and Food Services7,8596.37.27,2346.27.4+625
Transport, Postal and Warehousing5,0784.04.74,9624.35.1+116
Information Media and Telecommunications5750.50.97360.61.2-161
Financial and Insurance Services2,4522.02.52,4542.12.5-2
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1,3461.11.81,5211.32.0-175
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services4,8963.96.74,4793.96.2+417
Administrative and Support Services2,4241.93.42,3942.13.5+30
Public Administration and Safety7,0895.66.17,3656.36.5-276
Education and Training12,5039.98.911,60710.09.0+896
Health Care and Social Assistance20,47416.315.415,31313.213.0+5,161
Arts and Recreation Services1,0240.81.59010.81.6+123
Other Services5,0254.03.94,5383.93.9+487
Industry not classified5,2104.14.54,5223.94.3+688
Total persons125,731100.0100.0116,330100.0100.0+9,401

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.
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Dominant groups

An analysis of the jobs held by the local workers in the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (20,474 people or 16.3%)
  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (12,816 people or 10.2%)
  • Education and Training (12,503 people or 9.9%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 45,793 people in total or 36.4% of the local workers.

In comparison, Queensland employed 15.4% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 2.6% in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing and 8.9% in Education and Training.

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

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (10.2% compared to 2.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (3.9% compared to 6.7%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Construction (7.2% compared to 9.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Administrative and Support Services (1.9% compared to 3.4%)

Emerging groups

The largest changes in the jobs held by local workers between 2016 and 2021 in the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region were for those employed in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+5,161 local workers)
  • Education and Training (+896 local workers)
  • Industry not classified (+688 local workers)
  • Manufacturing (+633 local workers)

RDA Darling Downs and South West Region

economic profile