Australian Government - SkillsInfo

Accommodation and food services


Accommodation and Food Services employs approximately 729,000 persons, full time and part time, which is around 6.8 per cent of the total workforce. Over the past five years, employment in the industry has increased at a rate of 1.9 per cent per annum. The median age for workers in this industry is 27 years and median earnings are around $750 per week (before tax) for full-time employees.

Industry Employment Outlooks provide detailed analysis of employment characteristics, trends and prospects by industry, and highlight specific sectors where job growth is the strongest. Specific issues highlighted in these outlooks include workforce ageing, employment share by gender, educational profile, weekly earnings, average hours worked, regional and occupational employment.

Below is an Industry Employment Overview of the Accommodation and Food Services industry. For more detailed information go to Industry Employment Profiles or directly to the Industry and Regional Tables page for data on broad (ANZSIC 1 digit) industries.

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The following summary table illustrates how this historical trend translates into rates of growth within various time intervals (i.e. one, two, five and ten years).

    

Source: DEEWR Trend Data based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – August 2009

The following shows projected future growth, general employment characteristics and the proportion of workers aged 45 years and over in the Accommodation and Food Services industry.

       

Characteristics and Mature Age Source: DEEWR Special Order based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – Calendar Year Average 2008

The following shows the top 10 employing DEEWR Labour Market Regions (LMRs) for this industry including the number employed by each region (in 000's):

Sydney 144.3
Melbourne 126.9
Brisbane 110.3
Perth 53.5
Central and North QLD 38.7
Southern NSW (incl ACT) 35.5
Adelaide 33.5
Hunter 31.4
Western Victoria 27.0
Northern NSW 23.2

Source: Four quarter average based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – August 2009

More information on employment in the Accommodation and Food Sevices industry by DEEWR Labour Market Region or by ABS Labour Force Region can be viewed by clicking the relevant link.

The top employing occupations in Accommodation and Food Services industry are shown below. Click on any of the occupation titles to go to the Job Outlook web page for that occupation. Job Outlook contains a comprehensive statistical profile for each occupation, as well as links to Australian JobSearch and My Future.

Waiters 91.0
Kitchenhands 73.7
Sales Assistants (General) 69.5
Bar Attendants and Baristas 63.5
Chefs 54.0
Cafe and Restaurant Managers 48.8
Fast Food Cooks 33.8
Retail Managers 27.9
Cooks 24.7
Commercial Cleaners 20.8

Source: DEEWR Special Order based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – Calendar Year Average 2008.


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