Southern Downs Regional Council

Employment by industry (FTE)

In the Southern Downs Regional Council, Construction is the largest employer, generating 2,458 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 the Southern Downs Regional Council.

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 the Southern Downs Regional Council'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:
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Full-time equivalent employment by industry sector
Southern Downs Regional Council2023/242018/19Change
IndustryNumber%. QueenslandNumber%. Queensland2018/19 - 2023/24
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing1,80913.12.92,21416.83.4-404
Mining810.63.2820.63.2-1
Manufacturing1,1318.26.91,1678.97.6-35
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services1861.31.51281.01.4+58
Construction2,45817.811.01,36110.311.0+1,098
Wholesale Trade1851.32.72361.83.2-51
Retail Trade1,3119.57.71,2559.58.3+57
Accommodation and Food Services8496.15.51,0478.06.1-198
Transport, Postal and Warehousing8035.86.08176.26.0-14
Information Media and Telecommunications570.41.2810.61.4-25
Financial and Insurance Services1220.92.71311.02.6-9
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services2531.81.81261.01.9+127
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services5263.88.14203.27.0+106
Administrative and Support Services2241.63.02231.73.2+1
Public Administration and Safety4793.57.04853.76.9-7
Education and Training1,0307.48.61,1108.48.4-81
Health Care and Social Assistance1,64011.814.91,65412.613.0-14
Arts and Recreation Services610.41.4780.61.5-18
Other Services6364.64.05514.24.1+85
Total industries13,842100.0100.013,168100.0100.0+673

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.
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Dominant groups

An analysis of the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers in the Southern Downs Regional Council in 2023/24 shows the three largest industries were:

  • Construction (2,458 people or 17.8%)
  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (1,809 people or 13.1%)
  • Health Care and Social Assistance (1,640 people or 11.8%)

In combination these three fields accounted for 5,908 people in total or 42.7% of the local workers.

In comparison, Queensland employed 11.0% in Construction; 2.9% in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing and 14.9% in Health Care and Social Assistance.

The major differences between the jobs held by the full-time equivalent local workers of the Southern Downs Regional Council and Queensland were:

  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (13.1% compared to 2.9%)
  • A larger percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Construction (17.8% compared to 11.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (3.8% compared to 8.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of full-time equivalent local workers employed in Public Administration and Safety (3.5% compared to 7.0%)

Emerging groups

The number of full-time equivalent local workers in the Southern Downs Regional Council increased by increased by 673 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 the Southern Downs Regional Council were for those employed in:

  • Construction (+1,098 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services (+127 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+106 full-time equivalent local workers)
  • Other Services (+85 full-time equivalent local workers)

Southern Downs Regional Council

economic profile