Australian Government - SkillsInfo

Manufacturing


Manufacturing employs approximately 997,000 persons, full time and part time, which is around 9.1 per cent of the total workforce. Over the past five years, employment in the industry has decreased at a rate of 0.9 per cent per annum. The median age for workers in this industry is 40 years and median earnings are around $950 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 Manufacturing industry. For more detailed information go to the 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 the Help page. 

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 – February 2010.

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

          

Characteristics and Mature Age Source: DEEWR Special Order based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – Calendar Year Average 2009.

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):

Melbourne 223.4
Sydney 199.3
Brisbane 132.9
Perth 78.9
Adelaide 57.3
Hunter 49.0
Western Victoria 47.4
Eastern Victoria 35.5
Central and North QLD 32.3
Southern NSW (incl ACT) 26.9

Source: Four quarter average based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – February 2010

Using the following two links you can view more details of employment in this industry by ABS Labour Force Region and by DEEWR Labour Market Region.

The top employing occupations in Manufacturing 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.

Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers 48.1
Metal Fitters and Machinists 40.4
Packers 35.7
Production Managers 34.9
Product Assemblers 32.1
Food and Drink Factory Workers 24.1
Sales Assistants (General) 22.4
Cabinetmakers 21.9
Sales Representatives 20.6
Engineering Production Systems Workers 20.2

Source: DEEWR Special Order based on ABS Labour Force, Australia, Cat no: 6291.0.55.003 – Calendar Year Average 2009.

Education and Training

Industry Skill Needs

Career and Job Opportunities

Industry Organisations and Government Departments

 

Return to top of page