Queensland’s agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food industries are central to our economy, regions and communities.
At a glance
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68,400
direct employment in 2021–22
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371,000
total supply-chain employment
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$32.30 billion
supply chain value
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40,000
AFF and value chain businesses
Employment
Queensland's primary industries directly and indirectly employ more than 371,000 people (more than 14% of Queensland's workforce).
In August 2022, overall employment in Queensland rose by 1,400 people (0.05%) to 214,700 people (8.4%) in total. Queensland's labour market remains tight with unemployment at 3.2%.
More than 10% of employment in the Darling Downs-Maranoa, Outback Queensland and Wide Bay areas is in agriculture industries.
Explore the employment dashboard to see:
- employment and business statistics related to Queensland's agriculture, fisheries and forestry supply chain
- how farm gate employment and businesses support other sectors of the Queensland economy.
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Seasonal labour demand
Horticulture has a particular reliance on seasonal workers to ensure continuity of supply, with up to 18,000 temporary full time equivalent jobs available each month during a good season.
Explore our labour-demand dashboard to understand:
- demand across Queensland horticultural regions and commodities
- labour intensity of various commodities across the year.
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Data disclaimer
These figures are:
- modelled estimates only
- subject to change
- based on the available data as at February 2021.
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Last updated: 06 Apr 2023