Western Australia | National Skills Commission

The West Australia graphic shows 21% of jobs are regional. 14% of workers are aged 15 to 24 years. 17% of workers are self-employed.

The West Australia graphic shows 29% of workers hold a bachelor degree or higher. 33% of workers hold a certificate 3 or higher qualification. 6% of workers hold an other qualification. 32% of workers do not hold a post-school qualification.

Top employing industries in Western Australia

Industry
Health Care and Social Assistance
Construction
Mining
Retail Trade
Public Administration and Safety
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
Education and Training
Accommodation and Food Services
Manufacturing
Other Services
Transport, Postal and Warehousing
Administrative and Support Services
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
Wholesale Trade
Financial and Insurance Services
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services
Arts and Recreation Services
Information Media and Telecommunications

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Western Australia is the fourth largest employing state, with employment mostly located in Perth.

The largest employing industry in Western Australia is Health Care and Social Assistance. Demand for work in this industry is only going to increase given Australia’s ageing population. It is worth noting that not everyone employed in this industry is a doctor or a nurse.

Some of the top employing occupations in Health Care and Social Assistance include Receptionists, General Clerks, Kitchenhands and Commercial Cleaners. These are all occupations that can be perfect entry level positions and generally require minimal qualifications or prior experience.

Unlike the rest of Australia, a large proportion of Western Australians are employed in the Mining industry (around one in 10 workers). Reflecting this, nearly half of total Mining employment is located in Western Australia.

While many jobs across Australia have been adversely affected by COVID-19, some areas of the economy have seen an increase in demand. This includes some areas of Mining and mining services.

Employment by region, Western Australia

	Employment Profile				Workforce Educational Profile
	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	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Greater Perth	33	46	14	19	32	32	31
Bunbury	32	46	15	20	14	39	38
Western Australia - Outback	26	43	11	23	19	34	36
Western Australia - Wheat Belt	33	45	12	33	12	40	40
Western Australia	32	46	14	20	29	33	32
Australia	31	47	15	19	33	30	32

Sources: ABS, Labour Force (seasonally adjusted and annual averages of original data); ABS, Characteristics of Employment; ABS, Education and Work; National Skills Commission, A snapshot in time: The Australian labour market and COVID-19.