Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Australia
Australia: Employment in industry (% of total employment) was 19.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Australia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Australia recorded 19.3% for employment in industry (% of total employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Australia peaked at 23.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 19.1%, in 2019.
That places Australia 88th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23.9% | — |
| 1992 | 23.7% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 23.7% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 23.6% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 23.1% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 22.6% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 22.4% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 22.0% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 21.7% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 22.1% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 21.2% | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 21.4% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 21.3% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 21.5% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 21.7% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 21.6% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 22.1% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 21.9% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 21.7% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 21.5% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 21.4% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 21.1% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 21.0% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 20.1% | -4.4% |
| 2016 | 20.0% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 19.4% | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 19.9% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 19.1% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 19.2% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 19.5% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 19.2% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 19.7% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 19.4% | -1.6% |
| 2025 | 19.3% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.0% | 21.7% | 23.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 21.6% | 21.2% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.5% | 19.1% | 21.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.4% | 19.2% | 19.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More work & labour data for Australia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4907 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5202 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9895 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8931 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 30,186 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 3,001 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 21,642 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 21,502 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 43,144 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in industry (% of total employment) in Australia?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Australia was 19.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.1% in 2019.
- How does Australia rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- Australia ranks 88th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).