Australian Government - SkillsInfo

Construction


Construction employs approximately 984,000 persons, full time and part time, which is around 9.2 per cent of the total workforce. Over the past five years, employment in the industry has increased at a rate of 4.0 per cent per annum. The median age for workers in this industry is 38 years and median earnings are around $1000 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  a 'snapshot' of the Construction 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.

For information on data sources, including time periods, go to Help.

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 Construction 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 180.0
Melbourne 169.2
Brisbane 158.7
Perth 97.2
Central and North QLD 57.5
Adelaide 48.0
Hunter 43.4
Southern NSW (incl ACT) 42.7
Western Victoria 36.4
Greater WA 26.7

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

Employment in the Construction 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 Construction 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 MyFuture.

Carpenters and Joiners 100.2
Electricians 78.5
Plumbers 69.5
Construction Managers 56.6
Painting Trades Workers 47.9
Building and Plumbing Labourers 47.6
Earthmoving Plant Operators 34.9
Plasterers 34.6
Concreters 32.4
Bricklayers and Stonemasons 28.5

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

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