Industry Employment
The Northern Territory’s workforce is employed in a wide range of industry sectors. The highest proportion of Territory workers are employed in the public service, defence, retail trade, health and community services and construction.
Employment by Industry The NT Workforce
Employment by Industry - Ranked, August 2010
| Industry | Persons Employed |
|---|---|
| Public Administration and Safety | 18 089 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 13 500 |
| Retail Trade | 12 580 |
| Construction | 12 480 |
| Education and Training | 9925 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 8984 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 6150 |
| Other Services | 5742 |
| Transport, Postal and Warehousing | 5277 |
| Manufacturing | 4846 |
| Administrative and Support Services | 4020 |
| Mining | 3775 |
| Arts and Recreation Services | 3172 |
| Wholesale Trade | 3142 |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | 2708 |
| Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services | 2533 |
| Information Media and Telecommunications | 2112 |
| Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services | 1871 |
| Financial and Insurance Services | 1518 |
The NT Workforce
Working Age Population
The Northern Territory offers a quality workforce. While the rest of Australia ages and new entrants to the labour market decline, the Northern Territory has an increasing number of people reaching working age.
The Northern Territory continues to have a larger supply of ready workers compared to Australia, with 73% of the population in the traditional working age group (15-64) compared to 65.67% nationally, as at April 2011.
Despite the young workforce, demand for both skilled and unskilled workers in the Northern Territory is strong as a consequence of a strong economy. This has resulted in one of Australia’s lowest unemployment rates of 2.6% (trend) compared to the national rate of 4.9% (seasonally adjusted). (April 2011)
At April 2011, the proportion of people aged 65 years and over in the Northern Territory was the lowest among the states and territories at 7.8% (13 600 people) compared to the 16.8% nationally.
Source: Labour Force Region Data, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
Content current at 27 May 2011.
