Toowoomba

Employment by industry (Census)

Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer in Toowoomba, 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 Toowoomba 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 Toowoomba.

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
Toowoomba20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. QueenslandNumber%. Queensland2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing4,3145.52.64,2756.22.8+39
Mining9591.22.21,1581.72.3-199
Manufacturing5,2966.85.84,6956.86.0+601
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services9471.21.27961.11.1+151
Construction5,4967.19.14,8287.08.9+668
Wholesale Trade1,8942.42.32,1373.12.6-243
Retail Trade7,4559.69.36,90910.09.9+546
Accommodation and Food Services4,7966.27.24,2516.17.4+545
Transport, Postal and Warehousing3,0003.94.72,8884.25.1+112
Information Media and Telecommunications4400.60.95050.71.2-65
Financial and Insurance Services2,0122.62.51,9232.82.5+89
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services9431.21.81,0601.52.0-117
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services3,5404.56.73,1414.56.2+399
Administrative and Support Services1,5622.03.41,5012.23.5+61
Public Administration and Safety4,5515.86.14,6886.86.5-137
Education and Training8,63811.18.97,78911.29.0+849
Health Care and Social Assistance15,04219.315.410,79715.613.0+4,245
Arts and Recreation Services7581.01.56420.91.6+116
Other Services3,3024.23.92,8924.23.9+410
Industry not classified2,8613.74.52,4733.64.3+388
Total persons77,805100.0100.069,348100.0100.0+8,457

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 Toowoomba in 2021 shows the three most popular industry sectors were:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (15,042 people or 19.3%)
  • Education and Training (8,638 people or 11.1%)
  • Retail Trade (7,455 people or 9.6%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 31,135 people in total or 40.0% of the local workers.

In comparison, Queensland employed 15.4% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 8.9% in Education and Training and 9.3% in Retail Trade.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of Toowoomba 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 larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (5.5% compared to 2.6%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Education and Training (11.1% compared to 8.9%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (4.5% compared to 6.7%)

Emerging groups

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

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+4,245 local workers)
  • Education and Training (+849 local workers)
  • Construction (+668 local workers)
  • Manufacturing (+601 local workers)

Toowoomba Regional Council

economic profile