Overview
EMPLOYED
870,700
PART-TIME SHARE
16%
WORKFORCE SHARE
5.9%
FEMALE SHARE
29%
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS
$1,531
MEDIAN AGE
42
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 $1,531 per week, lower than all industries median earnings of $1,700.
Details
On this page
Employment
Employment in the Manufacturing industry fell over the 20 years to February 2025.
The number of workers fell by 29,700 (or -3.3%) over the last year.
| Quarterly employment, Manufacturing | Employment |
|---|---|
| 1026800 | |
| 1020500 | |
| 1016900 | |
| 1014100 | |
| 1012500 | |
| 1012600 | |
| 1015200 | |
| 1021000 | |
| 1029100 | |
| 1037700 | |
| 1045300 | |
| 1049500 | |
| 1047300 | |
| 1039400 | |
| 1028300 | |
| 1017100 | |
| 1007200 | |
| 999600 | |
| 992800 | |
| 986900 | |
| 981300 | |
| 976700 | |
| 971300 | |
| 964100 | |
| 955900 | |
| 949100 | |
| 945900 | |
| 944800 | |
| 943900 | |
| 942400 | |
| 938900 | |
| 933300 | |
| 928500 | |
| 926100 | |
| 925500 | |
| 924200 | |
| 921800 | |
| 918400 | |
| 913800 | |
| 907800 | |
| 900000 | |
| 892200 | |
| 888000 | |
| 889600 | |
| 893800 | |
| 899000 | |
| 903700 | |
| 902600 | |
| 899300 | |
| 898400 | |
| 903000 | |
| 911600 | |
| 917900 | |
| 916800 | |
| 908000 | |
| 898300 | |
| 892600 | |
| 888600 | |
| 886400 | |
| 881900 | |
| 875600 | |
| 872200 | |
| 874400 | |
| 881900 | |
| 888200 | |
| 887300 | |
| 876700 | |
| 865300 | |
| 858600 | |
| 859600 | |
| 867500 | |
| 879600 | |
| 893400 | |
| 904200 | |
| 908700 | |
| 906700 | |
| 900400 | |
| 892300 | |
| 884300 | |
| 877200 | |
| 870700 |
Sectors
Bakery Product Manufacturing is the largest sector in the Manufacturing industry, employing 63,400 workers.
| Employment by industry sectors | Employment |
|---|---|
| Bakery Product Manufacturing | 63400 |
| Meat and Meat Product Manufacturing | 46100 |
| Furniture Manufacturing | 45300 |
| Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Part Manufacturing | 39500 |
| Other Manufacturing | 36800 |
| Structural Metal Product Manufacturing | 34100 |
| Beverage Manufacturing | 33100 |
| Other Transport Equipment Manufacturing | 32200 |
| Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Product Manufacturing | 29000 |
| Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 27400 |
| Professional and Scientific Equipment Manufacturing | 26500 |
| Basic Ferrous Metal Manufacturing | 26000 |
| Other Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing | 25600 |
| Printing and Printing Support Services | 25300 |
| Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 24000 |
| Other Food Product Manufacturing | 23700 |
| Specialised Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing | 22700 |
| Polymer Product Manufacturing | 22200 |
| Basic Non-Ferrous Metal Manufacturing | 20200 |
| Dairy Product Manufacturing | 19000 |
| Computer and Electronic Equipment Manufacturing | 15200 |
| Clothing and Footwear Manufacturing | 15100 |
| Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 14100 |
| Textile Product Manufacturing | 11400 |
| Cement, Lime, Plaster and Concrete Product Manufacturing | 11100 |
| Sugar and Confectionery Manufacturing | 10400 |
| Basic Non-Ferrous Metal Product Manufacturing | 10000 |
| Log Sawmilling and Timber Dressing | 9300 |
| Other Non-Metallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 9300 |
| Metal Container Manufacturing | 8900 |
| Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 8800 |
| Grain Mill and Cereal Product Manufacturing | 6900 |
| Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing | 6500 |
| Cleaning Compound and Toiletry Preparation Manufacturing | 6400 |
| Petroleum and Coal Product Manufacturing | 5900 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Processing | 5200 |
| Pump, Compressor, Heating and Ventilation Equipment Manufacturing | 5100 |
| Sheet Metal Product Manufacturing (except Metal Structural and Container Products) | 4800 |
| Basic Chemical Manufacturing | 4700 |
| Domestic Appliance Manufacturing | 4700 |
| Fertiliser and Pesticide Manufacturing | 4700 |
| Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing | 4000 |
| Basic Ferrous Metal Product Manufacturing | 3500 |
| Other Basic Chemical Product Manufacturing | 3400 |
| Ceramic Product Manufacturing | 2400 |
| Leather Tanning, Fur Dressing and Leather Product Manufacturing | 2200 |
| Oil and Fat Manufacturing | 1900 |
| Seafood Processing | 1600 |
| Textile Manufacturing | 1500 |
| Basic Polymer Manufacturing | 1400 |
| Natural Rubber Product Manufacturing | 700 |
| Cigarette and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 700 |
| Iron and Steel Forging | 600 |
| Reproduction of Recorded Media | 600 |
| Knitted Product Manufacturing | 200 |
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 |
| 8321 | Packers |
| 3232 | Metal Fitters and Machinists |
| 3941 | Cabinetmakers |
| 7411 | Storepersons |
| 8311 | Food and Drink Factory Workers |
| 6211 | Sales Assistants (General) |
| 7213 | Forklift Drivers |
| 1311 | Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Manager |
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.