Overview
EMPLOYED
898,400
PART-TIME SHARE
17%
WORKFORCE SHARE
6.2%
FEMALE SHARE
30%
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS
$1,512
MEDIAN AGE
42
Manufacturing is a large employing industry. Around 6.2% 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 $1,512 per week, lower than all industries median earnings of $1,600.
Details
On this page
Employment
Employment in the Manufacturing industry fell over the 20 years to August 2024.
The number of workers fell by 5,300 (or -0.6%) over the last year.
| Quarterly employment, Manufacturing | Employment |
|---|---|
| 1038100 | |
| 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 | |
| 892600 | |
| 888600 | |
| 890100 | |
| 894000 | |
| 899000 | |
| 903600 | |
| 902700 | |
| 899700 | |
| 899000 | |
| 903500 | |
| 911700 | |
| 917700 | |
| 916500 | |
| 908100 | |
| 898700 | |
| 893000 | |
| 888900 | |
| 886500 | |
| 882200 | |
| 876100 | |
| 872800 | |
| 874900 | |
| 882000 | |
| 887900 | |
| 886900 | |
| 876800 | |
| 865800 | |
| 859300 | |
| 860200 | |
| 867800 | |
| 879500 | |
| 892900 | |
| 903700 | |
| 908700 | |
| 908000 | |
| 903700 | |
| 898400 |
Sectors
Bakery Product Manufacturing is the largest sector in the Manufacturing industry, employing 59,700 workers.
| Employment by industry sectors | Employment |
|---|---|
| Bakery Product Manufacturing | 59700 |
| Meat and Meat Product Manufacturing | 49900 |
| Furniture Manufacturing | 41800 |
| Other Manufacturing | 41700 |
| Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Part Manufacturing | 38200 |
| Beverage Manufacturing | 35500 |
| Other Transport Equipment Manufacturing | 34400 |
| Structural Metal Product Manufacturing | 31900 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Product Manufacturing | 29500 |
| Basic Ferrous Metal Manufacturing | 27800 |
| Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 27200 |
| Professional and Scientific Equipment Manufacturing | 27000 |
| Other Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing | 26300 |
| Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 25400 |
| Printing and Printing Support Services | 24600 |
| Other Food Product Manufacturing | 23500 |
| Specialised Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing | 23400 |
| Polymer Product Manufacturing | 23000 |
| Basic Non-Ferrous Metal Manufacturing | 22700 |
| Dairy Product Manufacturing | 18500 |
| Clothing and Footwear Manufacturing | 15900 |
| Computer and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing | 15800 |
| Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 14700 |
| Sugar and Confectionery Manufacturing | 11800 |
| Log Sawmilling and Timber Dressing | 11100 |
| Other Non-Metallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 10600 |
| Textile Product Manufacturing | 10600 |
| Basic Non-Ferrous Metal Product Manufacturing | 10400 |
| Cement, Lime, Plaster and Concrete Product Manufacturing | 9700 |
| Metal Container Manufacturing | 9600 |
| Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 8700 |
| Petroleum and Coal Product Manufacturing | 7400 |
| Grain Mill and Cereal Product Manufacturing | 6600 |
| Cleaning Compound and Toiletry Preparation Manufacturing | 6200 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Processing | 6100 |
| Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing | 6000 |
| Pump, Compressor, Heating and Ventilation Equipment Manufacturing | 5600 |
| Basic Chemical Manufacturing | 5400 |
| Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing | 5400 |
| Basic Ferrous Metal Product Manufacturing | 4800 |
| Sheet Metal Product Manufacturing (except Metal Structural and Container Products) | 4400 |
| Domestic Appliance Manufacturing | 4300 |
| Fertiliser and Pesticide Manufacturing | 4000 |
| Ceramic Product Manufacturing | 3500 |
| Leather Tanning, Fur Dressing and Leather Product Manufacturing | 2500 |
| Other Basic Chemical Product Manufacturing | 2400 |
| Seafood Processing | 1900 |
| Basic Polymer Manufacturing | 1400 |
| Iron and Steel Forging | 1100 |
| Oil and Fat Manufacturing | 1100 |
| Textile Manufacturing | 800 |
| Cigarette and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 700 |
| Natural Rubber Product Manufacturing | 600 |
| 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.