WHOLESALE INDUSTRY

Summary of Operations
Employment Size
States and Territories

SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS

At the end of June 2006 there were 84,913 businesses operating in the wholesale industry. These businesses employed 508,708 persons and generated total income of $354.2b.

During 2005-06 wholesale sales of goods accounted for 84.2% ($298.1b) of total income, while retail sales represented 5.2% ($18.4b) of total income.

Total industry value added by wholesale businesses was $49.8b which represented 5.6% of Australian industry gross value added for 2005-06.

Basic material wholesaling was the largest contributor to wholesale industry income accounting for 29.4% ($104.2b). Machinery and equipment wholesaling was the largest employer (28.7%) and accounted for the highest proportion (29.8%) of wholesale industry profits.

EMPLOYMENT SIZE

During 2005-06 the wholesale industry was dominated by small businesses with 95.3% (80,948 businesses) of which 40,900 were non employing businesses. These small businesses accounted for 34.5% (175,711 persons) of industry employment and 27.5% ($97.5b) of total industry income. In contrast, large businesses (those employing 100 persons) represented 0.7% of all wholesale businesses and accounted for 49.3% of industry income.

STATES AND TERRITORIES

New South Wales accounted for 36.5% of total wholesale industry employment and 35% of income from sales of goods and services. Victoria was the second largest contributor with 28.7% of employment and 29.9% of income from sales of goods and services.