NSW ITAB collects and collates data from the most recent information made publically available. Articles specific to industry sectors can be accessed by emailing Leon.
NSW Industry Intelligence
For more information and to request specific industry sector information:
contact Leon Drury on 02 9955 5500 or email Leon.
Consultation and advice
We consult widely with enterprises, industry associations, unions, Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and other stakeholders. We seek input on workforce skills issues, including:
- industry’s current and future training and skills requirements
- the quality and relevance of the national Training Packages
- the need for training resources
- the ease of access to high quality, customised training
- issues facing RTOs in delivering training and skills programs to meet industry needs.
For further details click on the below:
Australian Manufacturing Workforce Dashboard
Data current as at 21 October 2026. Employment figures are ABS Labour Force Survey, February 2026 quarter, the latest published quarter; the ABS resumes its quarterly industry tables on 17 December 2026. Apprentice figures are NCVER March quarter 2026. The JSA 2026 Occupation Shortage List, released 21 October 2026, finds 27% of assessed occupations in national shortage, down from 29% in 2025, with almost half of technician and trade occupations still in shortage.
Key occupations
Top five employing occupations within the Manufacturing industry, ranked by JSA (Australian Jobs 2026). Bars show each occupation's employment across all industries (ABS EQ08, February 2026 quarter, original series) because the Labour Force Survey does not publish occupation counts within a single industry.
Top 5 employing occupations in Manufacturing
Trades and production occupations, five-year view
Employment by state and subsector
ABS Labour Force detailed, February 2026 quarter, original series, '000 persons. Quarterly original series are volatile; read trends over several quarters, not single moves.
Manufacturing employment, Australia, Feb 2021 to Feb 2026
Employment by state, February 2026 quarter
Employment by ANZSIC subsector, February 2026 quarter
Apprentices and trainees
NCVER Apprentices and Trainees, March quarter 2026 (collection no. 128, released 15 September 2026), estimates as at 31 March 2026. Apprentice figures count training contracts, not persons.
Trade commencement growth is stalling
Key insights
Sources
Methodology: all employment figures are ABS Labour Force Survey original series in thousands of persons and carry sampling variability, particularly for small states and subsectors. Apprentice figures count training contracts, not persons. The ABS retired the Labour Force, Australia, Detailed title after the March 2026 release and resumed detailed tables within Labour Force, Australia from 15 October 2026; the quarterly industry tables used here return with the November 2026 release on 17 December 2026.
Prepared by Manufacturing Skills Australia (NSW ITAB).
