Coffs Harbour City

Employment by industry (FTE)

In Coffs Harbour City, Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employer, generating 6,245 FTE jobs in 2023/24.

Full-time equivalent (FTE) employment is modelled by NIEIR and takes into account differences in hours worked between industry sectors. It is a measure that allows direct comparison of employment between industries in Coffs Harbour City.

Typically, industries such as Retail Trade and Accommodation and Food Services, which employ many part-time workers, have lower FTE employment than total employment.

FTE employment is calculated directly by dividing the total hours worked in each industry by 38. By comparing the number of full-time equivalent jobs in each industry sector to a regional benchmark, you can clearly see the structure of Coffs Harbour City's economy. This can be done by directly comparing the area to its benchmark, or by using a location quotient to look at the relative size of industries.

FTE employment should be viewed in conjunction with Employment by industry (Total) and Employment by industry (Census), for a full understanding of the industry breakdown in the area. Worker productivity data shows the value of a worker in each industry to the local economy. Employment locations shows where employment is taking place in each industry sector.

Data source

National Economics (NIEIR) - Modelled series

Please note: FTE employment is derived from Census data but has been corrected for the known undercount of employment in the Census. Detailed notes about how the figures are derived can be found in thespecific topic notes section.
Current benchmark:
Comparison year:
reset
Did you know? By clicking/tapping on a data row in the table you will be able to see sub categories.
Full-time equivalent employment by industry sector
Coffs Harbour City2023/242018/19Change
IndustryNumber%. New South WalesNumber%. New South Wales2018/19 - 2023/24
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing1,7355.72.11,5555.52.5+180
Mining390.11.1880.31.1-48
Manufacturing1,1143.76.31,1894.27.4-76
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services3901.31.22530.91.1+137
Construction4,17313.810.53,75113.210.4+422
Wholesale Trade5651.93.46442.33.6-79
Retail Trade3,07610.28.13,14111.18.4-65
Accommodation and Food Services2,1237.05.22,1317.55.6-7
Transport, Postal and Warehousing9623.25.51,2054.25.9-242
Information Media and Telecommunications1780.61.92991.12.5-121
Financial and Insurance Services4941.65.94241.55.3+70
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services4381.41.84651.61.8-27
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services1,4104.711.01,5615.510.6-151
Administrative and Support Services9233.02.88212.92.9+102
Public Administration and Safety1,8186.06.31,5675.55.8+251
Education and Training2,9279.78.12,4878.87.7+439
Health Care and Social Assistance6,24520.613.94,98217.611.9+1,263
Arts and Recreation Services4021.31.54181.51.5-16
Other Services1,2664.23.41,3864.93.8-120
Total industries30,278100.0100.028,366100.0100.0+1,912

Source: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) ©2025. Compiled and presented in economy.id by .id (informed decisions). NIEIR-ID data are adjusted each year, using updated employment estimates. Each release may change previous years’ figures. Learn more

Please refer to specific data notes for more information
Did you know? By clicking/tapping on a category in the chart below you will be able to drilldown to the sub categories.
loading animation
loading animation

Dominant groups

An analysis of the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers in Coffs Harbour City in 2023/24 shows the three largest industries were:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (6,245 people or 20.6%)
  • Construction (4,173 people or 13.8%)
  • Retail Trade (3,076 people or 10.2%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 13,494 people in total or 44.6% of the local workers.

In comparison, New South Wales employed 13.9% in Health Care and Social Assistance; 10.5% in Construction and 8.1% in Retail Trade.

The major differences between the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers of Coffs Harbour City and New South Wales were:

  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Health Care and Social Assistance (20.6% compared to 13.9%)
  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (4.7% compared to 11.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Financial and Insurance Services (1.6% compared to 5.9%)
  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (5.7% compared to 2.1%)

Emerging groups

The number of full-time equivalent local workers in Coffs Harbour City increased by increased by 1,912 between 2018/19 and 2023/24.

The largest changes in the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers between 2018/19 and 2023/24 in Coffs Harbour City were for those employed in:

  • Health Care and Social Assistance (+1,263 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Education and Training (+439 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Construction (+422 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Public Administration and Safety (+251 full-time equivalent local workers)

City of Coffs Harbour

economic profile