Arts and Recreation Services

EMPLOYED

266,700

PART-TIME SHARE

48%

WORKFORCE SHARE

1.8%

FEMALE SHARE

48%

MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS

$1,713

MEDIAN AGE

33

Arts and Recreation Services is a small employing industry. Around 1.8% of workers have their main job in this industry.

This diverse industry includes:

  • professional and recreational sports
  • creative and performing arts
  • Museums
  • Zoos and botanical gardens
  • amusement parks and recreation centres
  • casinos and gambling activities.

Median earnings are $1,713 per week, lower than all industries median earnings of $1,741.

On this page

    Employment

    Employment in the Arts and Recreation Services industry grew over the 20 years to November 2025.
    The number of workers grew by 3,400 (or 1.3%) over the last year.

    Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, Detailed, November 2025, Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) trend data.
    Note: Over the COVID-19 pandemic period (highlighted section in the chart above), some industries have censored values, resulting in a broken series for impacted industries. This is due to large quarterly fluctuations in employment resulting in trend data being unreliable for these quarters. Where data are available over the COVID-19 pandemic period, JSA recommends caution when using these trend estimates.
    Quarterly employment, Arts and Recreation Services Employment
    172000
    174400
    176800
    179100
    181300
    183500
    185600
    187500
    189200
    190800
    192200
    193500
    194700
    195800
    196800
    197600
    198300
    199100
    199800
    200600
    201500
    202500
    203400
    204300
    205200
    206100
    206900
    207700
    208500
    209300
    210200
    211100
    212200
    213300
    214700
    216200
    217700
    219300
    220800
    222300
    223800
    225200
    226500
    227900
    229300
    230800
    232300
    233900
    235300
    236600
    237700
    238600
    239200
    239600
    239700
    239700
    239500
    239200
    241000
    242500
    244400
    246700
    249100
    251600
    254100
    256500
    258600
    260500
    262100
    263400
    264500
    265300
    266100
    266700

    Sectors

    Sports and Physical Recreation Activities is the largest sector in the Arts and Recreation Services industry, employing 121,800 workers.

    Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, Detailed, November 2025, Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) trend data.
    Note: the sum of sectoral employment may not equal the industry total as data are trended separately, and not further defined (nfd) classifications have been excluded.
    Employment by industry sectors Employment
    Sports and Physical Recreation Activities 121800
    Creative and Performing Arts Activities 50600
    Parks and Gardens Operations 26500
    Gambling Activities 25100
    Amusement and Other Recreation Activities 16900
    Horse and Dog Racing Activities 10900
    Museum Operation 10400

    Occupations

    Sports Coaches, Instructors and Officials is the largest employing occupation in the Arts and Recreation Services industry.

    The 10 largest employing occupations are shown below.

    Some occupations are common across a number of industries.

    Largest employing occupations

    Source: Ranked using ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2024, four-quarter average data, customised report.
    ANZSCO CodeOccupation title
    4523Sports Coaches, Instructors and Officials
    4521Fitness Instructors
    1491Amusement, Fitness and Sports Centre Managers
    4524Sportspersons
    5421Receptionists
    2112Music Professionals
    2114Visual Arts and Crafts Professionals
    3623Greenkeepers
    4311Bar Attendants and Baristas
    2111Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers

    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.

     

    Industry data - November 2025.xlsx

    industry_data_-_november_2025.xlsx100516

    Download