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Jobs & Wages in Australia
Updated May 2011
The Australian Workforce
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in May 2011, there were almost 11.5 million Australians in employment, grouped by industry in the following table:| Industry | # Employed | % | |
| 1 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 1,288,464 | 11.3% |
| 2 | Retail Trade | 1,234,061 | 10.8% |
| 3 | Construction | 1,054,965 | 9.2% |
| 4 | Manufacturing | 976,256 | 8.5% |
| 5 | Education and Training | 886,812 | 7.8% |
| 6 | Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 852,600 | 7.5% |
| 7 | Accommodation and Food Services | 976,256 | 8.5% |
| 8 | Public Administration and Safety | 715,397 | 6.3% |
| 9 | Transport, Postal and Warehousing | 580,923 | 5.1% |
| 10 | Other Services | 457,524 | 4.0% |
| 11 | Financial and Insurance Services | 431,658 | 3.8% |
| 12 | Administrative and Support Services | 399,188 | 3.5% |
| 13 | Wholesale Trade | 398,141 | 3.5% |
| 14 | Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | 334,525 | 2.9% |
| 15 | Arts and Recreation Services | 222,880 | 2.0% |
| 16 | Information Media and Telecommunications | 218,511 | 1.9% |
| 17 | Mining | 217,052 | 1.9% |
| 18 | Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services | 207,023 | 1.8% |
| 19 | Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services | 153,270 | 1.3% |
| Australia - All Industries | 11,425,787 | 100.0% |
Source www.abs.gov.au 6291.0.55.003 Labour Force, Australia
This pattern of employment is fairly consistent across each state (see this PDF file), with the following notable exceptions:
- Western Australia has a much higher proportion of people employed in Mining
- Manufacturing has a higher profile in both Victoria and South Australia
- In New South Wales there is higher than average employment in Finance and Insurance
- In the ACT the biggest employer industry is Government Administration and Defence
Where Are The Jobs?
If you're a migrant choosing which area of Australia to head for, you'll want to know which region and which industry can offer the best opportunities for your skills.Which States?
The following table shows current (Feb 2007) job vacancies for Australia.| State | Size of Workforce | Unemployment Rate ¹ | Job Vacancies ² | |
| # Jobs | Percent | |||
| NSW | 3,499,500 | 5.2% | 48,200 | 1.4% |
| VIC | 2,697,600 | 4.8% | 32,100 | 1.2% |
| QLD | 2,204,700 | 4.0% | 38,700 | 1.8% |
| WA | 1,125,500 | 3.0% | 25,000 | 2.2% |
| SA | 797,400 | 5.3% | 9,900 | 1.2% |
| TAS | 236,700 | 5.6% | 2,500 | 1.1% |
| NT | 104,800 | 2.5% | 2,500 | 2.4% |
| ACT | 193,700 | 3.1% | 4,800 | 2.5% |
| Australia Total | 10,859,900 | 4.6% | 163,700 | 1.5% |
| for comparison... | ||||
| United Kingdom ³ | n/a | 5.5% | n/a | n/a |
It can be seen that unemployment in WA, Queensland, the ACT and the Northern Territory is currently very low, having fallen dramatically in the last few years mainly as a result of the resources boom. As you might expect, the job vacancy rate in these states is also higher than average.
By contrast, the two largest economies, New South Wales and Victoria, along with South Australia and Tasmania have not benefited as much from the resources boom. Consequently, they have lower vacancy rates and higher unemployment, although this is still low by historical standards and all but Tasmania have lower unemployment than the UK.
Which Industries?
The last table showed us that in Feb 2007 there were 163,700 job vacancies throughout Australia, but which industries are these jobs in? The next table shows this, along with the vacancy rates (job vacancies as a percentage of overall jobs in that industry).| Industry | # Vacancies ² | % |
| Retail Trade | 26,700 | 1.78% |
| Property and Business Services | 36,600 | 2.97% |
| Health and Community Services | 15,500 | 1.45% |
| Manufacturing | 17,100 | 1.63% |
| Construction | 7,900 | 0.83% |
| Education | 3,900 | 0.54% |
| Accommodation, Cafes and Restaurants | 10,000 | 2.02% |
| Government Administration and Defence | 8,000 | 1.67% |
| Wholesale Trade | 10,300 | 2.18% |
| Transport and Storage | 4,500 | 0.99% |
| Personal and Other Services | 5,300 | 1.33% |
| Finance and Insurance | 8,300 | 2.11% |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | n/a | n/a |
| Cultural and Recreational Services | 2,300 | 0.81% |
| Communication Services | 1,700 | 0.94% |
| Mining | 4,400 | 3.21% |
| Electricity, Gas and Water Supply | 1,100 | 1.37% |
| Australia - All Industries | 163,700 | 1.51% |
Sources
1. www.abs.gov.au ref 6202.0 Labour Force, Feb 2007 Seasonally Adjusted.
2. www.abs.gov.au ref 6354.0 Job Vacancies Australia, Feb 2007. Percent as % of workforce.
3. www.statistics.co.uk Jan 2007
What Can You Earn?
This is one of the key questions that migrants have and a difficult one to answer accurately.Here we present three sources of information.
1. Statistics
According to the ABS, the average full-time adult earnings¹ in November 2010 was $1,324 per week, equal to $68,848 a year.In April 201107, the Australian average full-time annual wage = $58,000 AUD (approx)
As a comparison, median pay for full-time employees² in the UK in April 2006 was £447 per week, equal to £23,244 a year. Assuming wage growth around 3.5% per annum, we estimate:
In April 2007, the UK average full-time annual wage = £24,000 GBP = $60,000 AUD (approx)
The following table shows average weekly full-time earnings¹ by state as of November 2006. We have calculated the annual figure and the increase in the 12 months to Nov 2006.
| State | Average Weekly Earnings | Average Annual Earnings | % Increase Nov 05-Nov 06 |
| NSW | $1,136.00 | $59,072 | 0.77% |
| VIC | $1,082.90 | $56,310 | 0.94% |
| QLD | $1,046.80 | $54,433 | 4.08% |
| WA | $1,184.80 | $61,609 | 7.09% |
| SA | $1,054.90 | $54,854 | 6.05% |
| TAS | $994.40 | $51,708 | 4.67% |
| NT | $1091.30 | $56,747 | -0.05% |
| ACT | $1,281.10 | $66,617 | 6.34% |
| Australia | $1,105.70 | $57,496 | 2.64% |
Sources
1. www.abs.gov.au ref 6302.0 Average Weekly Earnings, Nov 2006.
2. www.statistics.co.uk Median Weekly Pay April 2006
These statistics may be useful in comparing one state to another, or Australia vs UK, but they don't tell you what you may actually earn in your own trade or profession. Read on...
2. Salary Surveys
There are a number of salary surveys available on the net, as follows:Hays Personnel Services have a Salary Survey compiled from over 10,000 vacancies in Accounting, Finance, IT, Law, Construction etc..
CareerOne Australian Job Search - Salary Surveys
Michael Page International - Salary Surveys
3. See What's On Offer
Using the job search websites is a good idea. Salaries are not always published in the ads, but if that's the case, you could try contacting the recruitment agent placing the ad to check on the salary being offered.
A Note About Superannuation
Please consider that, in general, a superannuation contribution of 9% will be made by the employer. As far as we know, all statistics quoted above are exclusive of superannuation. In salary surveys, it should be stated whether the figures include or exclude super. Likewise, when you're looking at a job ad, you need to know if the published salary includes super or if it's added on top.Job Search Websites
www.seek.com.auAbout 30,000 job listings, nationally, with a particular focus on IT jobs.
www.jobnet.com.au
IT and other technology jobs.
Australian Jobsearch
A website run by the federal government and covering the whole of Australia.
www.medicareer.com.au
A job search site specialising in Medical careers Australia-wide.
www.bluestrike.com.au
Specialising in Casual, Part time and Temporary Jobs.
it2.com.au
Job portal run by ITCRA - Information Technology Contract & Recruitment Association.
Other Employment Resourcess
Australian Workplace for information on employment, government assistance, jobs, careers, training and working conditions.WageNet provides access to wages and conditions of employment information
www.linkme.com.au Job Search, Resume database, career advice and more.
Teaching & Education Support
Education Dept Lists all vacancies in government schools.
In the non-government sector, each school is responsible for recruiting its own teachers. Try our suburb search facility to locate schools in each area. Or visit the following websites for general information:
Association of Independent Schools, WA
Catholic Education Office of WA
Government
Technology
ITCRA Information Technology Contract & Recruitment Association.
Mining, Oil, Gas & Engineering
Disclaimer
Information on this website is intended to give the reader an overview of many aspects of life in Australia, such as healthcare, real estate, tax, superannuation etc.
While we at Aussiemove.com have performed a large amount of research on each subject area, we do not claim to be experts in those fields and we recommend that migrants discuss their requirements with companies specialising in those fields before making purchases, investments or other decisions concerning their move.
The content of this website is general in nature - no specific advice is intended.
We provide links to other companies as a service to our readers. We have taken reasonable care to ensure that each linked website does not contain offensive or inappropriate material. However, we are not responsible for the accuracy of any of the material in any linked website, or the advice that may be contained therein.