Perths Job Market

[Guest The Pom Queen]

THE WA jobs market is changing dramatically in the wake of the mining boom, with workers flooding into areas such as health care, tourism and education as they leave mining and manufacturing.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the number of people working in education and training has surged 13.5 per cent over the past year while, for the first time, more than 100,000 people are working in the accommodation and food services sector.

Health care and social services is WA’s biggest employer, with almost 167,000 people working in the area. It accounts for more than 12 per cent of WA’s workforce of 1.4 million, adding 13,200 workers in the past year.

In a sign of last year’s improved weather, figures showed agriculture was the fastest growing sector across the State, increasing its total workforce almost 17 per cent to 36,300.

It is the biggest number of farm, fishing and forestry workers since late 2012.

While the State’s workforce has grown over the past year, some areas have gone backwards. The biggest hit has been in small arts and recreation, which has shed 16 per cent of its workforce after growing strongly in recent years.

The State’s economic woes have hit manufacturing hard, with just 76,700 workers now in the sector.

It is the fewest manufacturing workers in WA since 1993, while its share of the workforce, 5.6 per cent, is the lowest on record.

Mining companies have also shed staff, with the total number of miners down to 94,000, the fewest since May 2015.

The figures also show the sluggishness in retail is having a direct impact on jobs.

There are 126,800 people working in retail, a fall of 7.8 per cent, well down on the peak of 149,000 reached in mid-2014.

[benj1980]

So what happens when there is another mining boom, everyone leaves alternative jobs for the cash and then try to come back when there is a bust? I've only been here for the current bust!

[Johndoe]

Swings and roundabouts of the Capitalist system.WTF do they mean by "small arts" and why does anyone think that sector is relevant when the average joe blow just wants to stay employed and couldn't give shit about artistict merit? The growth in farm, fishery and forestry workers is a good indicator that the state isn't totally reliant (moving from it's reliance) on mining.

As for the sluggishness in retail showing a direct impact on jobs, anyone with the slightest grasp of economics would surmise that the reverse is true...............that the sluggishness in jobs shows a direct impact on retail....................but hey ho..............I ain't an economist so no doubt someone will come along to tell me that I'm an idiot.

[VXRHSV]

There is not going to be a - construction mining boom. The sites are built operational need few staff and there is not enough demand from China i.e iron ore worth sod all