At a glance

This page gives you a high-level overview of the Australian agricultural workforce.

255,500

people are employed in agriculture in their main job, representing 1.8% of the Australian workforce¹

70.5%

are employed full-time¹

32.3%

of the workforce is female¹

44.7%

of employees were in casual employment (excludes owner managers)²

$1,200

is the median weekly earnings in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing industry²

years is the median worker’s age³

¹ As of August 2025 (Source: ABS 2025, Labour Force, Australia, Detailed)
² As of August 2024 (Source: ABS 2024, Characteristics of Employment, Australia)
³ As of August 2021 (Source: ABS 2021, Age (AGEP) by Industry of Employment (INDP) [Census TableBuilder])

Trends over time

Dive into a data detailed factsheet that aims to help foster a deeper understanding of the agricultural landscape, recognising the pivotal role that the workforce plays in this sector, and its broader contributions to the economy. At a glance, you will be able to compare trends in agricultural employment across various indicators.

Key highlight (as of October 2025)

In August 2025, monthly hours worked in agriculture decreased to 9.3 million hours, this is 9% lower than the average over the last 3 years of 10.2 million hours, and the lowest level since the commencement of the series in the November quarter 1984. This partially reflects efficiencies from economies of scale and increasing automation over recent decades.

Download the factsheet

For more, read ABARES agricultural workforce research and visit agricultural workforce data sources.