Understanding the economic role of Shire of Northam provides a framework for understanding what policy responses and investment may be appropriate to support the growth of businesses and maintenance of a vibrant economy in the future.
The charts and table below give a broad overview of the role and function of your economy. It helps answer questions such as:
- How much of the Shire of Northam's economy is driven by meeting the local population needs?
- What proportion of jobs in the area are in goods production or selling of products?
- In which broad sectors are the key strengths of the local economy?
- What contribution do business services make in your area and is it growing?
- Is there a presence of local, state and federal government workers in in the area?
Once you have developed a broad picture of your economy, you can then drill down further with all the detail here.
| Employment composition | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shire of Northam | 2024 | 2019 | 2014 | |||
| Industry | number | % | number | % | number | % |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 238 | 4.3 | 354 | 7.0 | 386 | 8.0 |
| Mining | 22 | 0.4 | 21 | 0.4 | 53 | 1.1 |
| Goods related | 2,229 | 39.9 | 1,935 | 38.4 | 1,846 | 38.4 |
| Household services | 2,034 | 36.4 | 1,700 | 33.7 | 1,650 | 34.3 |
| Business services | 409 | 7.3 | 413 | 8.2 | 481 | 10.0 |
| Public administration and safety | 649 | 11.6 | 612 | 12.2 | 393 | 8.2 |
| Total Industries | 5,581 | 100.0 | 5,037 | 100.0 | 4,810 | 100.0 |
Source: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) ©2025. Compiled and presented in economy.id by .id (informed decisions). Data are based on a 2020-21 price base for all years. NIEIR-ID data are inflation adjusted each year to allow direct comparison, and annual data releases adjust previous years’ figures to a new base year.Learn more. Please refer to specific data notes for more information | ||||||