We have a range of different industries in Australia, and they’re all different – while some industries focus on caring for our health, for example, others construct our homes, or keep us entertained. Each industry employs a different number of people; the largest industry, Health Care and Social Assistance, employs over 2.2 million people, which is nearly 8 times as much as mining, one of the smaller industries at only 300,000 people.
Industries are also growing at different rates. So, for example, while we’ll need lots more educators in the next 5 years, industries like manufacturing are growing at a much slower rate.
Not sure why this matters? Well, you’ll be entering a competitive and dynamic job market, and understanding the field is essential if you want to win the game.
There are two key reasons why you need to think about this:
- You’ll be more in-demand in a growth industry – which can translate to higher pay, better benefits, and more options for growth.
- Going into a shrinking industry requires a Plan B – you might need a backup plan and a broad skill base so you can be flexible and go where the jobs are.
Short-term shortage vs long-term demand
There’s been a lot of talk lately about skills shortages and in-demand roles, but not all ‘shortages’ are the same. We often see problems with supply and demand in industries where skill shortages lead to massive recruitment campaigns, and five years down the track there are too many applicants. A big push to get people to study a specific qualification may lead to too many job seekers and not enough work to go around.
Some of the jobs most in demand right now are also ones which are rapidly being automated. Take mining, as an example; we still need more miners, but many mining jobs are being automated, particularly the lower skilled ones. The industry is changing too, so a lot of the ‘dirty’ mining jobs in coal are being phased out (and if they’re not, they will be soon).
What about the industries you’re interested in?
There’s often a mismatch between the number of students who want to work in an industry and the number of roles on offer. We’ve taken a look at current industry statistics and compared them to the industries Year 10 students expect to work in by the time they turn 30 (sources: GENERATION survey, April 2023; Labour Market Insights, August 2024).
Arts and Recreation
- Percentage of Year 10 students who expect to go into the field: 10.3%
- Percentage of people who actually work in the field: 1.9%
This means that nearly 9 out of 10 students who want to go into Arts and Recreation will end up somewhere else. The upside is that this industry is getting larger, with expected to growth of 11.1% by 2028.
To improve your odds of finding your way in this industry, consider developing skills such as management or entrepreneurship. People who work as visual arts professionals and sportspeople, for example, make up just 10% of the entire industry; the majority work in roles where they use their skills and knowledge to inspire, coordinate, and teach others.
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- Percentage of Year 10 students who expect to go into the field: ~29%
- Percentage of people who actually work in the field: 9.2%
This is another field that has lots of aspiring future professionals, but nearly half end up working in a different industry. It was also the most popular choice for both male and non-binary students. It includes things like engineering, law, computing, science, and research.
The great thing about qualifications for these jobs is that they are highly transferrable – even if you don’t end up working in one of these specific industries, it’s very likely you can use your skills and knowledge to find work in a similar field, such as public service, telecommunications, and business.
Finance, Business and Administration
- Percentage of Year 10 students who expect to go into the field: 5.3%
- Percentage of people who actually work in the field: 8.3%
For every 10 people in this field, 5 of them didn’t expect to work in it when they were in Year 10. But the thing is that we need a lot of people to manage and administer the myriad of businesses that exist – in fact, there are over 17,000 active businesses in Australia alone.
This field employs many people in regional areas and usually offers lots of flexibility when it comes to remote work. While most Year 10 students aren’t thinking about a career in business, high industry growth and wide availability means they can expect to find a job without too much difficulty.
Construction
- Percentage of Year 10 students who expect to go into the field: 2.1%
- Percentage of people who actually work in the field: 9.5%
The construction industry is the second largest employer in the country, yet only 2.1% of Year 10 students see themselves working in it.
One of the main misconceptions about the construction industry is that all of the jobs require you to do a trade or involve lots of physical work. But there are also many roles available in management and admin too, as well as more creative careers like architecture. And even if you start out as a tradesperson, this often opens doors for management and business ownership opportunities down the track.
Health Care and Social Assistance
- Percentage of Year 10 students who expect to go into the field: 18%
- Percentage of people who actually work in the field: 15.7%
Health is not only the largest employing industry, it’s also the fastest growing, and expects 25.2% growth by 2028. In fact, more people are employed in Health than in Agriculture, Mining, Arts, and Finance combined.
Interestingly, only 2.2% of Year 10 students wanted to work as Carers or Aides – but these jobs make up nearly a quarter of the jobs available in the health industry. There are many options in health, so take some time to consider all the different pathways and sub-industries. Also consider expanding your skill set to include technical skills like project management, administration, or even data analysis, which could take you into emerging fields in the future.
Don’t be disheartened
If these statistics are making you rethink your future choices, we have some good news too. And that is that you can find varied roles of almost any kind in any industry.
Passionate about graphic design? Use those skills as an advertising agent for a financial company.
Want to work in nature? A job as an outdoor educator could be ideal.
Love helping others be healthy? Share your passion through nutritious food as a chef.
Have a flair for coding? You could manage the IT systems at a major hospital.
The number of people in an industry doesn’t necessarily reflect the exact role they’re working in either. For example, if you’re a freelance artist who runs your own business, you might be reported as working in the Business and Administration industry instead of the Arts and Recreation industry. And more general roles such as clerks, salespeople, and technicians are available in nearly every industry.
Besides, if you’re still in high school, you definitely don’t need to have your whole life mapped out by now. Lots of things can change no matter how well prepared you think you are, and that’s OK. It’s normal to work in a variety of careers and jobs over your lifetime, so don’t stress if things turn out a little different to what you expected.
Learn more
You can explore more resources on the world of work on our website here.
Curious about matching your strengths and skills to your future career? Find out which Career Cluster you’re in and start exploring your options.