1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 21/01/2005   
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Contents >> Service industries >> Economic contribution of the service industries sector

The service industries sector is the largest component of the Australian economy in terms of number of businesses, employment and gross value added (GVA).

The service industries sector accounted for 68% of the total GVA of all goods-producing and service industries in 2002-03. The sector also showed the greater increase in output in chain volume terms (i.e. output adjusted for price changes), with an overall increase of 22% over the period 1997-98 to 2002-03 (table 20.1). In comparison, the total GVA of goods-producing industries recorded an increase of 12% over the five-year period.


20.1 GROSS VALUE ADDED(a), Chain volume measures(b)
1997-98
2002-03
Change from 1997-98 to 2002-03
Industries
$m
$m
%
Goods-producing
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
22,399
20,206
-10
Mining
30,010
33,944
13
Manufacturing
70,795
78,958
12
Electricity, gas and water
15,333
16,145
5
Construction
35,498
45,977
30
Total
174,035
195,230
12
Service
Wholesale trade
32,442
37,919
17
Retail trade
30,644
37,689
23
Accommodation, cafes and restaurants
12,591
15,206
21
Transport and storage
29,814
36,382
22
Communication services
15,858
20,378
29
Finance and insurance services
40,409
53,073
31
Property and business services
58,613
75,091
28
Government administration and defence
24,123
28,353
18
Education
29,137
31,619
9
Health and community services
34,888
42,725
22
Cultural and recreational services
10,907
12,327
13
Personal and other services
13,892
16,081
16
Total
333,318
406,843
22
Total(c)(d)
507,353
602,073
19
(a) At basic prices, which include subsidies, but are before any taxes on products.
(b) Reference year is 2001-02.
(c) Excludes ownership of dwellings.
(d) Sum of chain volume measures of GVA for individual goods-producing and service industries.

Source: Australian System of National Accounts (5204.0).


The largest contributor to the service industries sector in 2002-03 was the property and business services industry, which accounted for 18% of the total GVA of industries in the sector and 12% of the total GVA of all industries. The next largest contributor within the service industries sector was finance and insurance services, which accounted for 13% of the total GVA of the sector.

In the five-year period 1997-98 to 2002-03 the total GVA of industries in the services sector (in chain volume terms) increased by an average annual rate of 4%, while that of industries in the goods-producing sector recorded an average annual growth rate of 2%.

Within the service industries sector, the finance and insurance services industry recorded the largest percentage increase in GVA over the five-year period 1997-98 to 2002-03 (31%), or an average annual growth rate of 6%. The next largest growth rate was recorded by the communications industry, with a 29% increase over the five-year period, or an average annual growth rate of 6%. The smallest growth in industry GVA in the service industries sector over the five-year period was that of the education industry, with an increase of 9%.

In terms of employment, the service industries sector accounted for 75% of total employment for all industries in 2003-04 (table 20.2). Total employment in the service industries sector in 2003-04 was 7,135,000 persons.


20.2 EMPLOYED PERSONS(a)
1998-99
2003-04
Change from 1998-99 to 2003-04
Industries
'000
'000
%
Goods-producing
Agriculture, forestry and fishing
421.7
374.5
-11
Mining
80.0
96.6
21
Manufacturing
1,079.6
1,070.2
-1
Electricity, gas and water
64.8
75.0
16
Construction
632.4
776.7
23
Total
2,278.6
2,393.0
5
Service
Wholesale trade
505.7
445.5
-12
Retail trade
1,297.9
1,439.2
11
Accommodation, cafes and restaurants
412.7
470.3
14
Transport and storage
409.0
432.5
6
Communication services
151.4
174.0
15
Finance and insurance
320.3
346.4
8
Property and business services
947.8
1,119.8
18
Government administration and defence
346.4
445.3
29
Education
604.3
698.4
16
Health and community services
819.1
955.3
17
Cultural and recreational services
209.7
239.0
14
Personal and other services
338.5
369.1
9
Total
6,362.9
7,135.0
12
Total
8,641.5
9,528.0
10
(a) Annual average of quarterly data.

Source: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed - Electronic delivery (6291.0.55.001).


In the five-year period 1998-99 to 2003-04, employment in the service industries increased by 772,100 persons or 12%, representing an average annual growth rate of 2%. In the same period the goods-producing industries recorded an increase in employment of 114,400 persons. This represented an increase of 5% and an average annual growth rate of just over 1%.

Within the service industries sector, the major employing industry was retail trade with employment in 2003-04 of 1,439,200 persons, accounting for 15% of all employment and 20% of total employment in the sector. Other large employing service industries were property and business services (1,119,800 persons), health and community services (955,300 persons), and education (698,400 persons).

The service industries showing the greatest employment growth in the five-year period since 1998-99 were government administration and defence, with a 29% increase from 346,400 persons to 445,300 persons, property and business services with an increase of 18% in the period, and health and community services with an increase of 17%. The transport and storage sector showed the smallest increase over the period of 6%, while the wholesale trade sector recorded a decrease of 12%.



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