Australian Jobs 2021
Australian Capital Territory
Top employing industries in the Australian Capital Territory
| Employ’t May 2021 | Share of total | 5 year change to May 2021 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industries | '000 | % | '000 | % |
| Public Administration and Safety | 66.2 | 28 | -1.2 | -1.8 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 32.3 | 14 | 9.2 | 40.1 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 30.1 | 13 | 6.4 | 26.8 |
| Education and Training | 19.4 | 8 | 4.6 | 31.2 |
| Retail Trade | 19.1 | 8 | 2.3 | 14.0 |
| Construction | 17.5 | 7 | 3.4 | 23.9 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 13.9 | 6 | 0.9 | 7.3 |
| Other Services | 9.6 | 4 | 2.8 | 41.7 |
| Administrative and Support Services | 6.2 | 3 | 0.3 | 5.6 |
| Transport, Postal and Warehousing | 5.8 | 2 | -1.5 | -20.3 |
| Arts and Recreation Services | 5.6 | 2 | 1.0 | 22.7 |
| Financial and Insurance Services | 3.2 | 1 | -2.4 | -42.7 |
| Manufacturing | 3.0 | 1 | -1.3 | -29.8 |
| Information Media and Telecommunications | 2.9 | 1 | 0.0 | -1.3 |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | 1.4 | 1 | 0.0 | - |
| Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services | 1.4 | 1 | -1.8 | -57.5 |
| Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services | 1.3 | 1 | -0.7 | - |
| Wholesale Trade | 1.0 | 0.4 | -0.7 | - |
| Mining | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | - |
Following the onset of COVID-19 and the shutdown of non-essential services and trading restrictions, employment in the ACT fell by 9,900 (or 4.2%) between March 2020 and the trough in May 2020. Over the same period, the participation rate in the ACT decreased, from 72.3% in March 2020, to 69.7% in May 2020, while the unemployment rate rose, from 3.2% in March 2020, to a peak of 4.8% in June 2020 in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic.
Employment in the ACT increased by 4,200 between May 2020 and July 2021 but remains 5,800 (or 2.4%) below its pre-pandemic level. Moreover, the participation rate in the territory, at 70.8% in July 2021, is below the rate recorded in March 2020, while the unemployment rate, at 4.3% in July 2021, is above the pre-pandemic rate.
Encouragingly, there has been robust growth in recruitment activity in the ACT, as measured by the Internet Vacancy Index, with job advertisements 1.2 times higher than the pre-pandemic level, although the recent outbreak of COVID-19 cases, and associated lockdown and restrictions, is likely to dampen labour market activity in the coming months.
Employment by region
| Employment | Employment Profile | Educational | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment May 2021 | 5 year change to May 2021 | Part-time | Female | Aged 15 to 24 years | Aged 55 years or older | Bachelor degree or higher | Cert III or higher VET qual | No post-school qual | ||
| Region | '000 | '000 | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % |
| ACT | 237.2 | 18.7 | 8.5 | 27 | 50 | 15 | 16 | 49 | 21 | 27 |
| Australia | 13125.1 | 1177.9 | 9.9 | 32 | 47 | 14 | 20 | 36 | 29 | 29 |
Sources: ABS, Labour Force (seasonally adjusted and annual averages of original data); ABS, Characteristics of Employment; ABS, Education and Work; National Skills Commission, Internet Vacancy Index.