City of Perth

Employment by industry (Total)

In the City of Perth, Professional, Scientific and Technical Services is the largest employer, generating 52,678 local jobs in 2022/23.

Employment (total) is the most accurate and up to date measure of the total number of people employed in the City of Perth. The statistics are modelled by NIEIR to correct for the known undercount of jobs recorded in the Census. They estimate the total number of persons employed in an industry sector (full-time and part-time) in the City of Perth regardless of where they live. They are updated annually.

By comparing the number of jobs in each industry sector to a regional benchmark, you can clearly see the structure of the City of Perth'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.

Estimated total employment by industry should not be considered as a "Full-Time Equivalent" measure as different industries will have different ratios of part-time and full time employees. Full-time employment by industry statistics are also available.

To see how employment is distributed across the area, see the Employment locations section and to see where people come from to work in these industries, these data should be viewed in conjunction with Workers place of residence by industry data.

More granular sub-categories for each industry sector are available in the Employment by industry (Census) counts. While Census figures undercount employment they do provide a more detailed picture of the specific industries operating in the area.

Data source

National Economics (NIEIR) - Modelled series

Please note – Detailed notes about how the figures are derived can be found in the specific topic notes section.
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Employment (total) by industry
City of Perth2022/232017/18Change
IndustryNumber%. Western AustraliaNumber%. Western Australia2017/18 - 2022/23
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing2300.12.13000.22.9-71
Mining33,90214.89.824,03613.37.5+9,866
Manufacturing3,4301.56.13,3451.86.1+84
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services3,4211.51.43,5021.91.4-81
Construction7,1203.19.110,1905.69.9-3,070
Wholesale Trade1,5840.72.81,6840.92.7-100
Retail Trade6,0052.68.35,5403.19.2+465
Accommodation and Food Services9,6694.26.29,1145.06.8+555
Transport, Postal and Warehousing4,5042.05.13,8512.14.9+653
Information Media and Telecommunications5,8882.61.14,3192.41.2+1,569
Financial and Insurance Services19,3608.52.314,7958.22.3+4,565
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services3,2801.41.62,7951.51.6+484
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services52,67823.07.533,86618.76.7+18,812
Administrative and Support Services8,0763.52.96,8633.83.2+1,213
Public Administration and Safety29,00612.75.924,51513.56.3+4,491
Education and Training7,3673.28.37,9374.48.9-569
Health Care and Social Assistance27,53812.013.418,90310.412.2+8,636
Arts and Recreation Services2,3291.01.82,3971.32.1-69
Other Services3,5871.64.13,4391.94.1+148
Total industries228,975100.0100.0181,392100.0100.0+47,583

Source: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) ©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.
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Dominant groups

An analysis of the jobs held by the local workers in the City of Perth in 2022/23 shows the three largest industries were:

  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (52,678 people or 23.0%)
  • Mining (33,902 people or 14.8%)
  • Public Administration and Safety (29,006 people or 12.7%)

In combination these three industries accounted for 115,587 people in total or 50.5% of the local workers.

In comparison, Western Australia employed 7.5% in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; 9.8% in Mining and 5.9% in Public Administration and Safety.

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

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (23.0% compared to 7.5%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Public Administration and Safety (12.7% compared to 5.9%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Financial and Insurance Services (8.5% compared to 2.3%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Construction (3.1% compared to 9.1%)

Emerging groups

The number of local workers in the City of Perth increased by 47,583 between 2017/18 and 2022/23.

  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+18,812 local workers)
  • Mining (+9,866 local workers)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+8,636 local workers)
  • Financial and Insurance Services (+4,565 local workers)

City of Perth

economic profile