Overview
EMPLOYED
1,335,400
PART-TIME SHARE
51%
WORKFORCE SHARE
9.3%
FEMALE SHARE
55%
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS
$1,229
MEDIAN AGE
33
Retail Trade is the second largest employing industry. Around 9.3% of workers have their main job in this industry.
Retail Trade businesses are mainly involved in the purchase and onselling of goods to the general public. They usually trade from shop fronts that attract high numbers of walk-in customers, however the industry includes an increasing number of businesses involved in online retailing.
Median earnings are $1,229 per week, lower than all industries median earnings of $1,600.
Details
On this page
Employment
Employment in the Retail Trade industry grew over the 20 years to August 2024.
The number of workers grew by 6,000 (or 0.5%) over the last year.
| Quarterly employment, Retail Trade | Employment |
|---|---|
| 1114600 | |
| 1129500 | |
| 1144100 | |
| 1155300 | |
| 1161000 | |
| 1163000 | |
| 1163000 | |
| 1164000 | |
| 1167200 | |
| 1173500 | |
| 1181700 | |
| 1192000 | |
| 1204100 | |
| 1214700 | |
| 1219900 | |
| 1220400 | |
| 1217300 | |
| 1212200 | |
| 1205300 | |
| 1196500 | |
| 1188100 | |
| 1183700 | |
| 1182000 | |
| 1184100 | |
| 1189600 | |
| 1196200 | |
| 1200100 | |
| 1200700 | |
| 1199200 | |
| 1197100 | |
| 1195900 | |
| 1196700 | |
| 1200100 | |
| 1206000 | |
| 1211900 | |
| 1218000 | |
| 1222900 | |
| 1228200 | |
| 1230400 | |
| 1230600 | |
| 1230300 | |
| 1231400 | |
| 1233300 | |
| 1238900 | |
| 1247300 | |
| 1253800 | |
| 1252900 | |
| 1246900 | |
| 1240800 | |
| 1239100 | |
| 1241300 | |
| 1249100 | |
| 1258800 | |
| 1268100 | |
| 1271500 | |
| 1270300 | |
| 1268200 | |
| 1267300 | |
| 1264600 | |
| 1259800 | |
| 1253100 | |
| 1247600 | |
| 1243500 | |
| 1247200 | |
| 1255600 | |
| 1262200 | |
| 1265500 | |
| 1267700 | |
| 1275300 | |
| 1286200 | |
| 1300200 | |
| 1315000 | |
| 1326100 | |
| 1330800 | |
| 1330400 | |
| 1329400 | |
| 1327700 | |
| 1327600 | |
| 1329200 | |
| 1335400 |
Sectors
Supermarket and Grocery Stores is the largest sector in the Retail Trade industry, employing 318,400 workers.
| Employment by industry sectors | Employment |
|---|---|
| Supermarket and Grocery Stores | 318400 |
| Pharmaceutical and Other Store-Based Retailing | 244400 |
| Clothing, Footwear and Personal Accessory Retailing | 158800 |
| Specialised Food Retailing | 104100 |
| Hardware, Building and Garden Supplies Retailing | 92600 |
| Department Stores | 76900 |
| Motor Vehicle Retailing | 63700 |
| Electrical and Electronic Goods Retailing | 55500 |
| Furniture, Floor Coverings, Houseware and Textile Goods Retailing | 52700 |
| Recreational Goods Retailing | 51400 |
| Non-Store Retailing | 37400 |
| Fuel Retailing | 37300 |
| Motor Vehicle Parts and Tyre Retailing | 30300 |
| Retail Commission-Based Buying and/or Selling | 1500 |
Occupations
Sales Assistants (General) is the largest employing occupation in the Retail Trade 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 |
|---|---|
| 6211 | Sales Assistants (General) |
| 1421 | Retail Managers |
| 6311 | Checkout Operators and Office Cashiers |
| 8912 | Shelf Fillers |
| 7411 | Storepersons |
| 6215 | Retail Supervisors |
| 6214 | Pharmacy Sales Assistants |
| 2515 | Pharmacists |
| 6213 | Motor Vehicle and Vehicle Parts Salespersons |
| 5911 | Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks |
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.