Queensland’s agriculture, fisheries, forestry and food industries are central to our economy, regions and communities.

At a glance

  • 68,400

    direct employment in 2021–22

  • 371,000

    total supply-chain employment

  • $32.30 billion

    supply chain value

  • 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.

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.

Data disclaimer

These figures are:

  • modelled estimates only
  • subject to change
  • based on the available data as at February 2021.

Explore the data

Last updated: 06 Apr 2023