Taking Stock of Workforce Distribution

Here’s the latest ABS data on the distribution of the Australian workforce (refer table). Health Care industry is by far the largest employer. Sectors like mining, in spite of getting all the media attention, employs only 1.5% of the workforce. While the manufacturing sector, arguably a dying industry, is the fourth largest employer it’s clear that the Australia is predominantly a service economy. And that trend is likely to continue for years to come.

From a recruitment perspective, workforce data offer clues to what type of tools and strategy should be used. Taking stock of the size and distribution of the workforce is a good start.