The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) produces the official quarterly tourism labour statistics. This data is essential to measure changes in the visitor economy’s workforce.
Tourism Research Australia (TRA) produces a summary report of this data. Our report analyses recent changes in the number of filled tourism jobs and discusses emerging trends. It may also report on tourism filled jobs by:
- tourism-related industry
- employee and employment characteristic (i.e. male or female, full-time or part-time).
Download the report
Access the data
Access the ABS data on Tourism Satellite Accounts: quarterly tourism labour statistics. The ABS also provides details and analysis of the data on its website.
THRIVE 2030 and the visitor economy workforce
The THRIVE 2030 Strategy sets out the long-term plan for growing Australia’s visitor economy. Growing a secure and resilient visitor economy workforce is one of the policy priorities in the strategy, to support tourism businesses to deliver high-quality experiences to all visitors. More information, including action in this space, can be found on Growing tourism workforce and skills.
The THRIVE 2030 Action Plan to 2030, launched in February 2026, continues to focus on supporting businesses to modernise and attract and retain a skilled workforce. The quarterly tourism labour statistics provide a regular update on the number of tourism filled jobs in Australia. These statistics are identified in the Action Plan to 2030 as an indicator to assess business and workforce capability. Additional data reporting is contained in TRA's Longitudinal Indicators for the Visitor Economy (LIVE) framework.
Measuring tourism jobs in Australia
Measuring tourism jobs in Australia is complex. Industries are typically defined according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC). However, tourism, does not align with a single ANZSIC classification. It spans several ANZSIC classifications.
The ABS employs a rigorous methodology to produce reliable tourism labour force data. The data aligns with the ABS Australian Labour Account and the Tourism Satellite Account, which complies with internationally accepted standards. These include:
- International Labour Organization fundamentals
- the United Nations Statistical Commission’s System of National Accounts 2008.
The quarterly tourism labour statistics are produced in line with the Australian National Tourism Satellite Account methodology. Both these data publications incorporate data revisions on an annual basis.
