Overview
EMPLOYED
1,343,700
PART-TIME SHARE
50%
WORKFORCE SHARE
9.1%
FEMALE SHARE
55%
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS
$1,300
MEDIAN AGE
33
Retail Trade is the second largest employing industry. Around 9.1% 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 $1,300 per week, lower than all industries median earnings of $1,741.
Details
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Employment
Employment in the Retail Trade industry grew over the 20 years to November 2025.
The number of workers grew by 8,400 (or 0.6%) over the last year.
| Quarterly employment, Retail Trade | Employment |
|---|---|
| 1163100 | |
| 1162900 | |
| 1163700 | |
| 1166900 | |
| 1173100 | |
| 1181400 | |
| 1191800 | |
| 1204100 | |
| 1214900 | |
| 1220100 | |
| 1220500 | |
| 1217300 | |
| 1212200 | |
| 1205300 | |
| 1196400 | |
| 1187800 | |
| 1183300 | |
| 1181700 | |
| 1183900 | |
| 1189500 | |
| 1196300 | |
| 1200300 | |
| 1200800 | |
| 1199200 | |
| 1197000 | |
| 1195600 | |
| 1196400 | |
| 1199900 | |
| 1205900 | |
| 1211900 | |
| 1218000 | |
| 1222900 | |
| 1228300 | |
| 1230600 | |
| 1230800 | |
| 1230500 | |
| 1231600 | |
| 1233500 | |
| 1239200 | |
| 1247900 | |
| 1254600 | |
| 1253700 | |
| 1247300 | |
| 1240900 | |
| 1239100 | |
| 1241300 | |
| 1249200 | |
| 1259200 | |
| 1268800 | |
| 1272200 | |
| 1270700 | |
| 1268500 | |
| 1267700 | |
| 1265100 | |
| 1260300 | |
| 1253500 | |
| 1247900 | |
| 1243700 | |
| 1247400 | |
| 1256100 | |
| 1262900 | |
| 1266000 | |
| 1267900 | |
| 1275600 | |
| 1286700 | |
| 1300900 | |
| 1316100 | |
| 1327500 | |
| 1332200 | |
| 1331500 | |
| 1330100 | |
| 1327700 | |
| 1326600 | |
| 1326600 | |
| 1330700 | |
| 1335300 | |
| 1337800 | |
| 1339800 | |
| 1341500 | |
| 1343700 |
Sectors
Supermarket and Grocery Stores is the largest sector in the Retail Trade industry, employing 318,800 workers.
| Employment by industry sectors | Employment |
|---|---|
| Supermarket and Grocery Stores | 318800 |
| Pharmaceutical and Other Store-Based Retailing | 220000 |
| Clothing, Footwear and Personal Accessory Retailing | 155800 |
| Specialised Food Retailing | 106100 |
| Hardware, Building and Garden Supplies Retailing | 99200 |
| Department Stores | 83100 |
| Motor Vehicle Retailing | 69800 |
| Electrical and Electronic Goods Retailing | 60300 |
| Furniture, Floor Coverings, Houseware and Textile Goods Retailing | 54500 |
| Recreational Goods Retailing | 47100 |
| Fuel Retailing | 40200 |
| Motor Vehicle Parts and Tyre Retailing | 28900 |
| Non-Store Retailing | 24800 |
| Retail Commission-Based Buying and/or Selling | 900 |
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 |
| 6214 | Pharmacy Sales Assistants |
| 5911 | Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks |
| 6215 | Retail Supervisors |
| 2515 | Pharmacists |
| 6213 | Motor Vehicle and Vehicle Parts Salespersons |
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.