Overview
EMPLOYED
285,500
PART-TIME SHARE
28%
WORKFORCE SHARE
1.9%
FEMALE SHARE
32%
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS
$1,358
MEDIAN AGE
51
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing is a small employing industry. Around 1.9% of workers have their main job in this industry.
Businesses in this industry are mainly involved in activities like:
- growing crops
- raising animals
- growing and harvesting timber
- harvesting fish and other animals from farms or their natural habitats
A large share of the workforce is employed in regional Australia.
Median earnings are $1,358 per week, lower than all industries median earnings of $1,741.
Details
On this page
Employment
Employment in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing industry fell over the 20 years to November 2025.
The number of workers fell by 13,500 (or -4.5%) over the last year.
| Quarterly employment, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | Employment |
|---|---|
| 349400 | |
| 348100 | |
| 347100 | |
| 346400 | |
| 345900 | |
| 345700 | |
| 345600 | |
| 345700 | |
| 345900 | |
| 346100 | |
| 346300 | |
| 346400 | |
| 346400 | |
| 346200 | |
| 345600 | |
| 344800 | |
| 343600 | |
| 342000 | |
| 340000 | |
| 337700 | |
| 335100 | |
| 332200 | |
| 329200 | |
| 326300 | |
| 323500 | |
| 321000 | |
| 318600 | |
| 316400 | |
| 314600 | |
| 313100 | |
| 312100 | |
| 311500 | |
| 311200 | |
| 311200 | |
| 311400 | |
| 311600 | |
| 312000 | |
| 312400 | |
| 312900 | |
| 313500 | |
| 314300 | |
| 315300 | |
| 316300 | |
| 317500 | |
| 318800 | |
| 320400 | |
| 322000 | |
| 323700 | |
| 325300 | |
| 326900 | |
| 328200 | |
| 329400 | |
| 330300 | |
| 331000 | |
| 331500 | |
| 331700 | |
| 331700 | |
| 331400 | |
| 330900 | |
| 330000 | |
| 328600 | |
| 326900 | |
| 325000 | |
| 322800 | |
| 320600 | |
| 318400 | |
| 316300 | |
| 314400 | |
| 312700 | |
| 311200 | |
| 309800 | |
| 308500 | |
| 307200 | |
| 305700 | |
| 303900 | |
| 301700 | |
| 299100 | |
| 296100 | |
| 292800 | |
| 289300 | |
| 285500 |
Sectors
Sheep, Beef Cattle and Grain Farming is the largest sector in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing industry, employing 118,300 workers.
| Employment by industry sectors | Employment |
|---|---|
| Sheep, Beef Cattle and Grain Farming | 118300 |
| Fruit and Tree Nut Growing | 25200 |
| Agriculture and Fishing Support Services | 23300 |
| Mushroom and Vegetable Growing | 15200 |
| Nursery and Floriculture Production | 12800 |
| Other Livestock Farming | 10900 |
| Dairy Cattle Farming | 10500 |
| Other Crop Growing | 6900 |
| Poultry Farming | 6100 |
| Forestry and Logging | 5700 |
| Aquaculture | 4900 |
| Forestry Support Services | 4000 |
| Fishing | 3800 |
| Hunting and Trapping | 800 |
| Deer Farming | 100 |
Occupations
Livestock Farmers is the largest employing occupation in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 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 |
|---|---|
| 1213 | Livestock Farmers |
| 1212 | Crop Farmers |
| 1214 | Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmers |
| 8415 | Livestock Farm Workers |
| 8412 | Crop Farm Workers |
| 7211 | Agricultural, Forestry and Horticultural Plant Operators |
| 5512 | Bookkeepers |
| 8321 | Packers |
| 8416 | Mixed Crop and Livestock Farm Workers |
| 8419 | Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers |
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.