Shire of Ashburton

Employment by industry (Census)

Mining is the largest employer in the Shire of Ashburton, making up 61.0% of total employment.

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

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
Shire of Ashburton20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. Western AustraliaNumber%. Western Australia2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing780.62.31130.52.5-35
Mining8,37161.07.79,12038.96.6-749
Manufacturing1401.05.33361.45.6-196
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services1110.81.23661.61.2-255
Construction1,58711.68.87,05530.19.9-5,468
Wholesale Trade1791.32.41270.52.5+52
Retail Trade1250.98.71590.79.5-34
Accommodation and Food Services7685.66.59864.26.4-218
Transport, Postal and Warehousing3052.24.55672.44.6-262
Information Media and Telecommunications180.10.8150.11.0+3
Financial and Insurance Services30.02.1260.12.3-23
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1531.11.41110.51.7+42
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services2041.56.91,8407.96.4-1,636
Administrative and Support Services3892.83.15802.53.3-191
Public Administration and Safety2061.55.92591.16.2-53
Education and Training2792.08.72311.08.7+48
Health Care and Social Assistance1871.413.61890.811.7-2
Arts and Recreation Services160.11.6300.11.6-14
Other Services1481.13.92170.93.9-69
Industry not classified4713.44.61,1094.74.6-638
Total persons13,727100.0100.023,436100.0100.0-9,709

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 Shire of Ashburton in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Mining (8,371 people or 61.0%)
  • Construction (1,587 people or 11.6%)
  • Accommodation and Food Services (768 people or 5.6%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 10,726 people in total or 78.1% of the local workers.

In comparison, Western Australia employed 7.7% in Mining; 8.8% in Construction and 6.5% in Accommodation and Food Services.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of the Shire of Ashburton and Western Australia were:

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Mining (61.0% compared to 7.7%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Health Care and Social Assistance (1.4% compared to 13.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Retail Trade (0.9% compared to 8.7%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Education and Training (2.0% compared to 8.7%)

Emerging groups

The largest changes in the jobs held by local workers between 2016 and 2021 in the Shire of Ashburton were for those employed in:

  • Construction (-5,468 local workers)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (-1,636 local workers)
  • Mining (-749 local workers)
  • Industry not classified (-638 local workers)

Shire of Ashburton

economic profile