Wollongong City

Employment by industry (Census)

Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer in Wollongong City, making up 19.4% of total employment.

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

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
Wollongong City20212016Change
IndustryNumber%. New South WalesNumber%. New South Wales2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing1810.22.02080.32.2-27
Mining1,5291.80.91,2211.50.9+308
Manufacturing6,4047.45.55,6077.15.9+797
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services8210.91.06970.90.9+124
Construction6,7147.88.65,4656.98.4+1,249
Wholesale Trade1,3151.52.91,4211.83.1-106
Retail Trade7,7068.99.07,7399.89.7-33
Accommodation and Food Services6,4487.46.26,4558.17.1-7
Transport, Postal and Warehousing3,7224.34.63,5064.44.7+216
Information Media and Telecommunications6840.81.97671.02.2-83
Financial and Insurance Services2,8943.35.33,1033.95.0-209
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1,1181.31.71,2341.61.8-116
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services5,0015.88.94,0875.28.1+914
Administrative and Support Services2,3902.83.22,5053.23.5-115
Public Administration and Safety5,4106.25.85,0606.45.9+350
Education and Training9,90111.48.79,39911.98.3+502
Health Care and Social Assistance16,77219.414.413,45017.012.5+3,322
Arts and Recreation Services1,1431.31.41,0171.31.5+126
Other Services3,3883.93.43,3824.33.7+6
Industry not classified3,0373.54.62,9053.74.7+132
Total persons86,575100.0100.079,228100.0100.0+7,347

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

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (16,772 people or 19.4%)
  • Education and Training (9,901 people or 11.4%)
  • Retail Trade (7,706 people or 8.9%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 34,379 people in total or 39.7% of the local workers.

In comparison, New South Wales employed 14.4% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 8.7% in Education and Training and 9.0% in Retail Trade.

The major differences between the jobs held by local workers of Wollongong City and New South Wales were:

  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Health Care and Social Assistance (19.4% compared to 14.4%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (5.8% compared to 8.9%)
  • A larger percentage of local workers employed in the field of Education and Training (11.4% compared to 8.7%)
  • A smaller percentage of local workers employed in the field of Financial and Insurance Services (3.3% compared to 5.3%)

Emerging groups

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

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+3,322 local workers)
  • Construction (+1,249 local workers)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+914 local workers)
  • Manufacturing (+797 local workers)

Wollongong City Council

economic profile