City of Perth

Employment by industry (Census)

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services is the largest employer in the City of Perth, making up 21.5% of total employment.

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

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
City of Perth20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. Western AustraliaNumber%. Western Australia2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing2260.12.31880.12.5+38
Mining20,58412.17.714,34210.26.6+6,242
Manufacturing1,9591.25.32,6111.95.6-652
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services1,7751.01.22,1531.51.2-378
Construction5,8343.48.85,9434.29.9-109
Wholesale Trade1,3140.82.41,2300.92.5+84
Retail Trade4,5372.78.75,4253.89.5-888
Accommodation and Food Services8,1934.86.58,4646.06.4-271
Transport, Postal and Warehousing3,1461.84.52,4111.74.6+735
Information Media and Telecommunications2,3411.40.82,5651.81.0-224
Financial and Insurance Services14,0208.22.112,4758.82.3+1,545
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services2,1341.31.42,6281.91.7-494
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services36,55321.56.924,58117.46.4+11,972
Administrative and Support Services5,7083.43.15,4173.83.3+291
Public Administration and Safety21,03112.45.919,16313.66.2+1,868
Education and Training6,6043.98.76,9995.08.7-395
Health Care and Social Assistance23,65213.913.615,21410.811.7+8,438
Arts and Recreation Services1,6951.01.61,5471.11.6+148
Other Services2,8931.73.92,8302.03.9+63
Industry not classified6,0753.64.64,7843.44.6+1,291
Total persons170,275100.0100.0140,974100.0100.0+29,301

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 City of Perth in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (36,553 people or 21.5%)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (23,652 people or 13.9%)
  • Public Administration and Safety (21,031 people or 12.4%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 81,236 people in total or 47.7% of the local workers.

In comparison, Western Australia employed 6.9% in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; 13.6% in Health Care and Social Assistance 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 (21.5% compared to 6.9%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Public Administration and Safety (12.4% compared to 5.9%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Financial and Insurance Services (8.2% compared to 2.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Retail Trade (2.7% compared to 8.7%)

Emerging groups

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

  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+11,972 local workers)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+8,438 local workers)
  • Mining (+6,242 local workers)
  • Public Administration and Safety (+1,868 local workers)

City of Perth

economic profile