Overview
EMPLOYED
868,100
PART-TIME SHARE
17%
WORKFORCE SHARE
5.9%
FEMALE SHARE
30%
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS
$1,654
MEDIAN AGE
43
Manufacturing is a large employing industry. Around 5.9% 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 $1,654 per week, lower than all industries median earnings of $1,741.
Details
On this page
Employment
Employment in the Manufacturing industry fell over the 20 years to February 2026.
The number of workers fell by 8,700 (or -1%) over the last year.
| Quarterly employment, Manufacturing | Employment |
|---|---|
| 1014100 | |
| 1012500 | |
| 1012600 | |
| 1015200 | |
| 1021000 | |
| 1029100 | |
| 1037600 | |
| 1045300 | |
| 1049500 | |
| 1047300 | |
| 1039400 | |
| 1028300 | |
| 1017100 | |
| 1007200 | |
| 999600 | |
| 992700 | |
| 986900 | |
| 981300 | |
| 976700 | |
| 971300 | |
| 964100 | |
| 955900 | |
| 949100 | |
| 945900 | |
| 944800 | |
| 943900 | |
| 942400 | |
| 938900 | |
| 933300 | |
| 928500 | |
| 926100 | |
| 925500 | |
| 924200 | |
| 921700 | |
| 918400 | |
| 913800 | |
| 907900 | |
| 900300 | |
| 892500 | |
| 888400 | |
| 889900 | |
| 894100 | |
| 899300 | |
| 904000 | |
| 902900 | |
| 899600 | |
| 898700 | |
| 903300 | |
| 911900 | |
| 918300 | |
| 917100 | |
| 908400 | |
| 898700 | |
| 892900 | |
| 889000 | |
| 886700 | |
| 882200 | |
| 875900 | |
| 872600 | |
| 874700 | |
| 882200 | |
| 888500 | |
| 887600 | |
| 877100 | |
| 865600 | |
| 858900 | |
| 859900 | |
| 867900 | |
| 880000 | |
| 893900 | |
| 904800 | |
| 909400 | |
| 907500 | |
| 901100 | |
| 892800 | |
| 884600 | |
| 877200 | |
| 871300 | |
| 868400 | |
| 869100 | |
| 868100 |
Sectors
Bakery Product Manufacturing is the largest sector in the Manufacturing industry, employing 63,200 workers.
| Employment by industry sectors | Employment |
|---|---|
| Bakery Product Manufacturing | 63200 |
| Meat and Meat Product Manufacturing | 46400 |
| Furniture Manufacturing | 40800 |
| Other Manufacturing | 38000 |
| Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Part Manufacturing | 37900 |
| Other Transport Equipment Manufacturing | 31900 |
| Structural Metal Product Manufacturing | 29700 |
| Beverage Manufacturing | 29300 |
| Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 29100 |
| Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 26400 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Product Manufacturing | 26200 |
| Professional and Scientific Equipment Manufacturing | 25700 |
| Other Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing | 24300 |
| Basic Ferrous Metal Manufacturing | 23800 |
| Other Food Product Manufacturing | 23500 |
| Specialised Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing | 23400 |
| Polymer Product Manufacturing | 22900 |
| Printing and Printing Support Services | 22700 |
| Basic Non-Ferrous Metal Manufacturing | 20000 |
| Dairy Product Manufacturing | 17700 |
| Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 17700 |
| Computer and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing | 17000 |
| Clothing and Footwear Manufacturing | 15500 |
| Textile Product Manufacturing | 12000 |
| Cement, Lime, Plaster and Concrete Product Manufacturing | 11500 |
| Metal Container Manufacturing | 9900 |
| Sugar and Confectionery Manufacturing | 9600 |
| Log Sawmilling and Timber Dressing | 9300 |
| Other Non-Metallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 9100 |
| Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 8400 |
| Basic Non-Ferrous Metal Product Manufacturing | 7900 |
| Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing | 7500 |
| Cleaning Compound and Toiletry Preparation Manufacturing | 6800 |
| Petroleum and Coal Product Manufacturing | 6500 |
| Grain Mill and Cereal Product Manufacturing | 6300 |
| Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing | 5800 |
| Basic Chemical Manufacturing | 5400 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Processing | 5200 |
| Sheet Metal Product Manufacturing (except Metal Structural and Container Products) | 5000 |
| Pump, Compressor, Heating and Ventilation Equipment Manufacturing | 4900 |
| Fertiliser and Pesticide Manufacturing | 4400 |
| Domestic Appliance Manufacturing | 4100 |
| Other Basic Chemical Product Manufacturing | 3900 |
| Ceramic Product Manufacturing | 3600 |
| Basic Ferrous Metal Product Manufacturing | 3200 |
| Leather Tanning, Fur Dressing and Leather Product Manufacturing | 2500 |
| Oil and Fat Manufacturing | 1700 |
| Basic Polymer Manufacturing | 1600 |
| Seafood Processing | 1200 |
| Textile Manufacturing | 1100 |
| Iron and Steel Forging | 1100 |
| Natural Rubber Product Manufacturing | 800 |
| Reproduction of Recorded Media | 700 |
| Knitted Product Manufacturing | 200 |
| Cigarette and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 100 |
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 |
| 3941 | Cabinetmakers |
| 8321 | Packers |
| 6211 | Sales Assistants (General) |
| 8311 | Food and Drink Factory Workers |
| 7411 | Storepersons |
| 3511 | Bakers and Pastrycooks |
| 8322 | Product Assemblers |
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.