Overview
EMPLOYED
300,300
PART-TIME SHARE
28%
WORKFORCE SHARE
2.1%
FEMALE SHARE
32%
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS
$1,372
MEDIAN AGE
51
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing is a small employing industry. Around 2.1% of workers have their main job in this industry.
Businesses in this industry are mainly involved in activities like:
- growing crops
- raising animals
- growing and harvesting timber
- harvesting fish and other animals from farms or their natural habitats
A large share of the workforce is employed in regional Australia.
Median earnings are $1,372 per week, lower than all industries median earnings of $1,700.
Details
On this page
Employment
Employment in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing industry fell over the 20 years to February 2025.
The number of workers fell by 5,700 (or -1.9%) over the last year.
| Quarterly employment, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | Employment |
|---|---|
| 355100 | |
| 352800 | |
| 350900 | |
| 349300 | |
| 348000 | |
| 347000 | |
| 346200 | |
| 345800 | |
| 345600 | |
| 345500 | |
| 345600 | |
| 345700 | |
| 345900 | |
| 346100 | |
| 346300 | |
| 346300 | |
| 346000 | |
| 345500 | |
| 344600 | |
| 343400 | |
| 341800 | |
| 339900 | |
| 337500 | |
| 334900 | |
| 332000 | |
| 329000 | |
| 326100 | |
| 323300 | |
| 320700 | |
| 318300 | |
| 316200 | |
| 314300 | |
| 312900 | |
| 311800 | |
| 311200 | |
| 311000 | |
| 311000 | |
| 311200 | |
| 311500 | |
| 311900 | |
| 312400 | |
| 312900 | |
| 313700 | |
| 314500 | |
| 315500 | |
| 316600 | |
| 317800 | |
| 319100 | |
| 320700 | |
| 322400 | |
| 324100 | |
| 325700 | |
| 327200 | |
| 328600 | |
| 329700 | |
| 330700 | |
| 331300 | |
| 331800 | |
| 331900 | |
| 331900 | |
| 331600 | |
| 331000 | |
| 329900 | |
| 328500 | |
| 326700 | |
| 324600 | |
| 322400 | |
| 320000 | |
| 317700 | |
| 315500 | |
| 313500 | |
| 311800 | |
| 310300 | |
| 309100 | |
| 308000 | |
| 307000 | |
| 305900 | |
| 304800 | |
| 303400 | |
| 301900 | |
| 300300 |
Sectors
Sheep, Beef Cattle and Grain Farming is the largest sector in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing industry, employing 111,900 workers.
| Employment by industry sectors | Employment |
|---|---|
| Sheep, Beef Cattle and Grain Farming | 111900 |
| Agriculture and Fishing Support Services | 27500 |
| Fruit and Tree Nut Growing | 26200 |
| Mushroom and Vegetable Growing | 15200 |
| Dairy Cattle Farming | 13000 |
| Nursery and Floriculture Production | 12900 |
| Other Livestock Farming | 11300 |
| Poultry Farming | 7600 |
| Other Crop Growing | 6000 |
| Forestry and Logging | 5800 |
| Aquaculture | 4800 |
| Forestry Support Services | 3600 |
| Fishing | 2900 |
| Hunting and Trapping | 700 |
| Deer Farming | 200 |
Occupations
Livestock Farmers is the largest employing occupation in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 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 |
|---|---|
| 1213 | Livestock Farmers |
| 1212 | Crop Farmers |
| 1214 | Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmers |
| 8415 | Livestock Farm Workers |
| 8412 | Crop Farm Workers |
| 7211 | Agricultural, Forestry and Horticultural Plant Operators |
| 5512 | Bookkeepers |
| 8321 | Packers |
| 8416 | Mixed Crop and Livestock Farm Workers |
| 8419 | Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers |
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.