1367.5 - Western Australian Statistical Indicators, Dec 2009  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 28/01/2010   
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Contents >> Employment and earnings >> Industry of employment

INDUSTRY OF EMPLOYMENT

NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PERSONS, by Industry (Original data)
Feb 09
Nov 09
Feb 10
'000
'000
'000
Western Australia
1 163.4
1 162.9
1 179.5
Industry(a)
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
50.1
37.3
36.3
Mining
56.8
63.7
74.1
Manufacturing
102.9
96.3
91.4
Electricity, gas, water and waste services
22.6
12.1
14.7
Construction
122.3
125.4
124.8
Wholesale trade
42.1
41.1
43.5
Retail trade
146.4
126.6
112.6
Accommodation and food services
65.2
72.1
70.2
Transport, postal and warehousing
59.7
57.8
63.1
Information media and telecommunications
14.0
17.9
13.5
Financial and insurance services
26.0
27.1
27.8
Rental, hiring and real estate services
21.0
19.0
16.6
Professional, scientific and technical services
66.4
84.4
91.6
Administrative and support services
35.7
39.1
38.1
Public administration and safety
74.7
63.4
69.0
Education and training
77.1
97.4
94.3
Health Care and social assistance
115.1
114.0
119.9
Arts and recreation services
19.6
19.7
16.0
Other services
45.9
48.5
61.9
(a) Industry estimates are classified to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) 2006.
Source: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, Quarterly (cat. no. 6291.0.55.003)


  • In the February quarter 2010, the industries which recorded the largest losses in employment (in original data terms) were Retail trade (down 11%, 14,000 persons); Information media and telecommunications (down 25%, 4,400 persons); Arts and recreation services (down 19%, 3,700 persons); and Rental, hiring and real estate services (down 13%, 2,400 persons).
  • In contrast, employment growth in industries was largest in Mining (up 16%, 10,400 persons); Transport, postal and warehousing (up 9%, 5,300 persons); and Public administration and safety (up 9%, 5,600 persons).
  • Employment in the Retail trade industry fell by more than 23%, or 33,800 persons (original data) in the past year. This decrease is in contrast to the large increase in retail employees in February 2009 (to 146,000 persons) as the government rolled out its stimulus packages.
  • By comparison, the Mining industry has experienced strong growth in the number of employed persons in the past year (up over 30%, or 17,300 persons) after recording falls in late 2008/early 2009. This resurgence reflects the commencement of new mining and resource projects in Western Australia.

This link provides access to labour force data from Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, Quarterly, Feb 2010 (cat. no. 6291.0.55.003). Table 5 contains Industry data for Western Australia.



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