Western Downs Regional Council area

Employment by industry (Census)

Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing is the largest employer in the Western Downs Regional Council area, making up 16.6% of total employment.

Census employment data presents the number of persons employed in each industry sector (full-time and part-time) in the Western Downs Regional 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 Western Downs Regional 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 area:
Current benchmark:
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Employment (Census) by industry sector
Western Downs Regional Council area20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. QueenslandNumber%. Queensland2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing2,73216.62.62,76317.02.8-31
Mining1,0256.22.21,1597.12.3-134
Manufacturing7184.45.87454.66.0-27
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services6754.11.25793.61.1+96
Construction1,5159.29.11,82811.38.9-313
Wholesale Trade4082.52.34472.82.6-39
Retail Trade1,5969.79.31,4238.89.9+173
Accommodation and Food Services9765.97.29345.87.4+42
Transport, Postal and Warehousing6534.04.75643.55.1+89
Information Media and Telecommunications270.20.9550.31.2-28
Financial and Insurance Services1350.82.51831.12.5-48
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1741.11.81721.12.0+2
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services4993.06.75043.16.2-5
Administrative and Support Services3722.33.43412.13.5+31
Public Administration and Safety8305.06.18545.36.5-24
Education and Training1,2387.58.91,1977.49.0+41
Health Care and Social Assistance1,3808.415.41,1357.013.0+245
Arts and Recreation Services790.51.5700.41.6+9
Other Services5723.53.95523.43.9+20
Industry not classified8375.14.57334.54.3+104
Total persons16,464100.0100.016,238100.0100.0+226

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 Western Downs Regional Council area in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (2,732 people or 16.6%)
  • Retail Trade (1,596 people or 9.7%)
  • Construction (1,515 people or 9.2%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 5,843 people in total or 35.5% of the local workers.

In comparison, Queensland employed 2.6% in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; 9.3% in Retail Trade and 9.1% in Construction.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of the Western Downs Regional Council area and Queensland were:

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (16.6% compared to 2.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Health Care and Social Assistance (8.4% compared to 15.4%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Mining (6.2% compared to 2.2%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (3.0% compared to 6.7%)

Emerging groups

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

  • Construction (-313 local workers)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+245 local workers)
  • Retail Trade (+173 local workers)
  • Mining (-134 local workers)

RDA Darling Downs and South West Region

economic profile