Sunshine Coast

Employment by industry (Census)

Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer in Sunshine Coast, making up 19.3% of total employment.

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

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:
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Employment (Census) by industry sector
Sunshine Coast20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. QueenslandNumber%. Queensland2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing2,6271.92.62,3242.12.8+303
Mining3650.32.22300.22.3+135
Manufacturing6,8555.05.85,6685.16.0+1,187
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services1,2090.91.29490.91.1+260
Construction14,26210.59.110,4209.48.9+3,842
Wholesale Trade2,4881.82.32,2992.12.6+189
Retail Trade14,38310.69.313,15511.99.9+1,228
Accommodation and Food Services12,2979.07.210,3009.37.4+1,997
Transport, Postal and Warehousing3,8042.84.73,2863.05.1+518
Information Media and Telecommunications1,1870.90.91,2111.11.2-24
Financial and Insurance Services4,0523.02.53,3523.02.5+700
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services2,8452.11.82,7082.42.0+137
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services8,0685.96.76,3455.76.2+1,723
Administrative and Support Services3,9692.93.43,7493.43.5+220
Public Administration and Safety4,5313.36.14,3423.96.5+189
Education and Training12,7569.48.910,6619.69.0+2,095
Health Care and Social Assistance26,30819.315.418,20716.413.0+8,101
Arts and Recreation Services2,7032.01.52,2692.01.6+434
Other Services5,6524.13.94,5604.13.9+1,092
Industry not classified5,9044.34.54,8124.34.3+1,092
Total persons136,267100.0100.0110,847100.0100.0+25,420

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 Sunshine Coast in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (26,308 people or 19.3%)
  • Retail Trade (14,383 people or 10.6%)
  • Construction (14,262 people or 10.5%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 54,953 people in total or 40.3% of the local workers.

In comparison, Queensland employed 15.4% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 9.3% in Retail Trade and 9.1% in Construction.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of Sunshine Coast and Queensland were:

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Health Care and Social Assistance (19.3% compared to 15.4%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Public Administration and Safety (3.3% compared to 6.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Transport, Postal and Warehousing (2.8% compared to 4.7%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Mining (0.3% compared to 2.2%)

Emerging groups

The largest changes in the jobs held by local workers between 2016 and 2021 in Sunshine Coast were for those employed in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+8,101 local workers)
  • Construction (+3,842 local workers)
  • Education and Training (+2,095 local workers)
  • Accommodation and Food Services (+1,997 local workers)

Sunshine Coast Council

economic profile