Overview
EMPLOYED
891,700
PART-TIME SHARE
17%
WORKFORCE SHARE
6.1%
FEMALE SHARE
30%
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS
$1,531
MEDIAN AGE
42
Manufacturing is a large employing industry. Around 6.1% of workers have their main job in this industry.
Manufacturing involves transforming materials, substances or components into new products like:
- food and beverages
- textiles, leather, clothing and footwear
- wood and paper products
- petroleum and coal products
- chemical, polymer and rubber products
- mineral and metal products
- machinery and equipment
- furniture and other products.
Median earnings are $1,531 per week, lower than all industries median earnings of $1,700.
Details
On this page
Employment
Employment in the Manufacturing industry fell over the 20 years to November 2024.
The number of workers fell by 16,400 (or -1.8%) over the last year.
| Quarterly employment, Manufacturing | Employment |
|---|---|
| 1037200 | |
| 1033000 | |
| 1026700 | |
| 1020600 | |
| 1016900 | |
| 1014200 | |
| 1012600 | |
| 1012700 | |
| 1015400 | |
| 1021200 | |
| 1029100 | |
| 1037600 | |
| 1045100 | |
| 1049100 | |
| 1047000 | |
| 1039200 | |
| 1028300 | |
| 1017300 | |
| 1007400 | |
| 999700 | |
| 992800 | |
| 986900 | |
| 981300 | |
| 976600 | |
| 971100 | |
| 964100 | |
| 956000 | |
| 949300 | |
| 946000 | |
| 944800 | |
| 943800 | |
| 942200 | |
| 938800 | |
| 933300 | |
| 928600 | |
| 926200 | |
| 925500 | |
| 924100 | |
| 921700 | |
| 918400 | |
| 913800 | |
| 907900 | |
| 900300 | |
| 892700 | |
| 888600 | |
| 890100 | |
| 894000 | |
| 899100 | |
| 903600 | |
| 902800 | |
| 899700 | |
| 899000 | |
| 903600 | |
| 911800 | |
| 917800 | |
| 916600 | |
| 908200 | |
| 898800 | |
| 893000 | |
| 888900 | |
| 886600 | |
| 882200 | |
| 876100 | |
| 872800 | |
| 874900 | |
| 882000 | |
| 888000 | |
| 887000 | |
| 876900 | |
| 865900 | |
| 859400 | |
| 860300 | |
| 867900 | |
| 879600 | |
| 892900 | |
| 903500 | |
| 908100 | |
| 906900 | |
| 902000 | |
| 896300 | |
| 891700 |
Sectors
Bakery Product Manufacturing is the largest sector in the Manufacturing industry, employing 61,400 workers.
| Employment by industry sectors | Employment |
|---|---|
| Bakery Product Manufacturing | 61400 |
| Meat and Meat Product Manufacturing | 48200 |
| Furniture Manufacturing | 43800 |
| Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Part Manufacturing | 40600 |
| Other Manufacturing | 38900 |
| Beverage Manufacturing | 35800 |
| Other Transport Equipment Manufacturing | 33100 |
| Structural Metal Product Manufacturing | 31800 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Product Manufacturing | 29300 |
| Basic Ferrous Metal Manufacturing | 28200 |
| Professional and Scientific Equipment Manufacturing | 27100 |
| Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 26900 |
| Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 25900 |
| Printing and Printing Support Services | 25100 |
| Other Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing | 24400 |
| Specialised Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing | 24000 |
| Other Food Product Manufacturing | 23500 |
| Polymer Product Manufacturing | 22200 |
| Basic Non-Ferrous Metal Manufacturing | 21200 |
| Dairy Product Manufacturing | 18900 |
| Computer and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing | 16300 |
| Clothing and Footwear Manufacturing | 15300 |
| Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 13200 |
| Sugar and Confectionery Manufacturing | 11200 |
| Cement, Lime, Plaster and Concrete Product Manufacturing | 11000 |
| Textile Product Manufacturing | 11000 |
| Other Non-Metallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 10500 |
| Log Sawmilling and Timber Dressing | 10400 |
| Metal Container Manufacturing | 9500 |
| Basic Non-Ferrous Metal Product Manufacturing | 9100 |
| Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 8600 |
| Petroleum and Coal Product Manufacturing | 6900 |
| Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing | 6800 |
| Grain Mill and Cereal Product Manufacturing | 6400 |
| Cleaning Compound and Toiletry Preparation Manufacturing | 6200 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Processing | 5900 |
| Pump, Compressor, Heating and Ventilation Equipment Manufacturing | 5900 |
| Basic Chemical Manufacturing | 5200 |
| Sheet Metal Product Manufacturing (except Metal Structural and Container Products) | 5200 |
| Basic Ferrous Metal Product Manufacturing | 5000 |
| Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing | 4900 |
| Fertiliser and Pesticide Manufacturing | 4700 |
| Domestic Appliance Manufacturing | 3800 |
| Ceramic Product Manufacturing | 3400 |
| Other Basic Chemical Product Manufacturing | 2600 |
| Oil and Fat Manufacturing | 2400 |
| Leather Tanning, Fur Dressing and Leather Product Manufacturing | 2100 |
| Seafood Processing | 1700 |
| Basic Polymer Manufacturing | 1400 |
| Textile Manufacturing | 1300 |
| Iron and Steel Forging | 900 |
| Cigarette and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 700 |
| Natural Rubber Product Manufacturing | 700 |
| Knitted Product Manufacturing | 500 |
| Reproduction of Recorded Media | 500 |
Occupations
Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers is the largest employing occupation in the Manufacturing industry.
The 10 largest employing occupations are shown below.
Some occupations are common across a number of industries.
Largest employing occupations
| ANZSCO Code | Occupation title |
|---|---|
| 3223 | Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers |
| 1335 | Production Managers |
| 3232 | Metal Fitters and Machinists |
| 8311 | Food and Drink Factory Workers |
| 8321 | Packers |
| 3941 | Cabinetmakers |
| 7411 | Storepersons |
| 1334 | Manufacturers |
| 6211 | Sales Assistants (General) |
| 3511 | Bakers and Pastrycooks |
Data Downloads
Industry data
This file contains data for all 19 industries to make comparing industry data easy. Information available includes:
- industry overview
- industry employment (20-year time series)
- industry sector employment
- top employing occupations by industry.