- Date:
- 19 Aug 2026
1 Industry snapshot
Retail trade skills and workforce snapshot.
2 Introduction
About the retail trade industry.
3 Workforce profile
The retail trade workforce is younger and predominantly female, with almost half holding a post-school qualification.
4 Top employing occupations
Sales assistants is the top employing occupation in the industry, characterised by a predominantly female and largely part‑time workforce.
5 Workforce projections
By 2028, 23,200 new workers are expected to enter the retail trade industry.
6 Top growing occupations
The industry’s fastest top growing roles are varied across skill requirements, salary levels and retention rates.
7 Skills needs
Skills in general sales practices are the most sought-after, while business operations skills and human resources are growing fastest in job advertisement mentions.
8 Training activity
Popular courses and study areas linked to this industry include the Certificate II in Electrotechnology (VET) and Business management (HE).
9 Appendix 1: Data notes
9 Appendix 1: Data notes.
9 Appendix 2: Data sources
9 Appendix 2: Data sources.
Updated