When someone says they work in the Services industry what exactly do they mean? In fact, the Services industry is based on customer service and dealing with people. It comprises diverse sectors from retail and wholesale to even aspects of transport.

The Services industry is large and employs almost one-quarter of the Australian workforce—that’s about 2.7 million people working in full-time and part-time jobs across the country. Service Skills Australia estimates there are also about 1.5 million volunteers working in tourism, sport and recreation. The two largest employing sectors within Services are retail, and accommodation, cafes and restaurants.

Services include a large variety of job descriptions across seven key sectors:

Services provide flexible employment that meets the needs of different groups within the community. It should come as no surprise that up to 50 per cent of all young people begin their working lives in this industry. Services have some of the biggest employers of young people in Australia. Vocational education and training also records the largest number of all secondary school enrolments in the hospitality and retail sector.

Services can provide challenging and exciting career opportunities for people with the right skills and motivation. With strong employment growth predicted over the next seven years there are plenty of opportunities, especially in skills needs areas such as cooking and hairdressing. 

People love working in the Services industry because many of the work environments are dynamic and forever changing—no two days are the same!