10 Biggest Employers in Australia in 2024
This blog is dedicated to the biggest Australian employers, continuing our series of blogs on Australian businesses and entrepreneurial ventures.
Understanding the Biggest Employer in Australia
When discussing the biggest employer in Australia, it’s essential to consider both the number of employees and the impact on the economy.
Woolworths Group is Australia’s largest employer, with a workforce of approximately 215,000 individuals. This retail giant dominates the supermarket sector and plays a significant role in shaping employment trends across the country.
Woolworths Group’s extensive network includes supermarkets, liquor stores, and general merchandise outlets, contributing to its status as the biggest employer in Australia.
The company’s commitment to employee development and satisfaction has earned it a top position in LinkedIn’s ranking of companies investing in talent.
Exploring the Largest Employer in Australia by Sector
While Woolworths Group is the biggest employer overall, the healthcare sector also boasts significant employment figures.
Ramsay Health Care Limited, for instance, is a significant player in the healthcare industry, employing around 90,000 people. As the largest employer in Australia’s healthcare sector, Ramsay Health Care provides vital services across the nation and beyond.
The company’s focus on high-quality healthcare services ensures its continued growth and prominence in the employment landscape.
Now, this blog is a follow-up to our previous post on the largest employer blogs from around the world.
15 Largest Employers in Canada
You may notice in the blog that many companies with greater market value are being outshone by smaller companies in terms of employee strength.
The blog will first enlist the company based on its strength of employees and in the end, we’ll give you a summary of its ranking based on the number of employees and their market value.
Let’s get started first with a brief around the Australian economy and what makes Australia such an attractive destination for job seekers.
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As of May 2024, the Australian economy currently ranks 12th in the list of largest national economy by nominal GDP (source: World Bank).
The Australian economy is dominated by the service sector, which as per one estimate employs 78.8% of the labour force. (Source: Australian Govt Official Website).
You will see this fact reflected in the list below.
Specifically focusing on employment trends – as of May 2024, the unemployment rate in Australia has reached 4.0%, as per the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
As per the Australian government, health care and social assistance remained the top employment sector with 14.3% of total employment in the country.
On the contrary, electricity, gas, water and waste services were the lowest contributors with 1.1% employment. (Source: Australian govt website)
Now, without further ado, let’s look at the list of the 10 biggest employers in Australia.
FYI: We’ve exclusively used official company sources for the compilation of this list.
However, in some cases where official figures were not available, data were taken from other reputable sources like Forbes and the BBC.
Woolworths Group
Number of Employees: 215,000
Key Information
Founding year | 1885 |
Industry | Retail, Food & general merchandise |
Market cap | 38.37 billion AUD |
Headquarters | Bella Vista, New South Wales, Australia |
Stock symbol | WOW |
Woolworths Group Overview
Currently ranked 12th in the ASX-200 index, Woolworth Group, a famous company based out of Sydney, tops the list of biggest employers in Australia by employing around 190,000 people.
The group owns a chain of retail stores across Australia and New Zealand and claims to be Australia’s biggest retailer.
Woolworths stores have a presence in every state and territory of Australia.
The group currently owns the following businesses in Australia:
- Woolworths Supermarkets
- Everyday Rewards
- Big W
In neighbouring New Zealand, Woolworths Group owns the following chains:
- Countdown
- SuperValue
- FreshChoice
Employee Satisfaction
Nonetheless, the group has featured in the top 2nd position in Linkedin’s ranking of 25 companies investing in their talents and helping people in their long-term career success. (source: LinkedIn)
Coles Group
Number of Employees: 120,000
Key Information
Founding year | 1914 |
Industry | Consumer staple, Retail |
Market cap | 14.3 billion AUD |
Headquarters | Hawthorn East, Victoria, Australia |
Stock symbol | COL |
Coles Group Overview
Coles Group Limited, a Famous Melbourne-based Company, currently ranks 17th in the ASX-200 index but shines in the list of biggest employers in Australia at the 2nd position.
Its flagship stores chain is Coles Supermarkets, and the group also deals in liquor sales through its Coles Liquor and Coles Express outlets.
Coles is the second largest chain of supermarkets in Australia after Woolworths.
Employee Satisfaction
Coles Group’s official site claims a growing commitment toward diversity and inclusion initiatives set as goals to be achieved by December 2023.
It acknowledges the uniqueness of individuals and claims to create a sense of belonging in its community.
The company has a rating score ranging from 3.2 to 3.5 out of a total of 5 based on its employees’ reviews on different jobs finding sites on the web. (Sources: SEEK, Indeed Australia)
Wesfarmers Limited
Number of employees: 120,000
Key Information
Founding year | 1914 |
Industry | Consumer staple, Retail |
Market cap | 48.02 billion AUD |
Headquarters | Hawthorn East, Victoria, Australia |
Stock symbol | COL |
Wesfarmers Limited Overview
Wesfarmers Limited was established in 1914 as a co-operative for providing services to Australian farmers.
Later, it turned into a giant conglomerate of 60+ companies.
In 1984, Wesfarmers was registered as a public company. Fast forward today and it presently ranks at number 9 in the ASX-200 index.
Wesfarmers now owns various business divisions including
- Kmart departmental store
- Target store
- Wesfarmers Chemical, Energy & Fertilisers (WesCEF)
- Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety
- Australian Pharmaceutical Industries
Employee Satisfaction
The company has a rating score of 3.6 out of a total of 5 based on its employees’ reviews on various jobs finding sites online. (Sources: SEEK, Indeed Australia)
Ramsay Health Care Limited
Number of employees: 90,000
Key Information
Founding year | 1964 |
Industry | Healthcare |
Market cap | 16.24 billion AUD |
Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
Stock symbol | RHC |
Ramsay Health Care Limited Overview
Ramsay Health Care Limited is Australia’s largest healthcare provider with around 100 facilities working countrywide.
The company was established in 1914 as a co-operative for providing services to Australian farmers.
The company operates in Australia, Europe, the UK, as well as in Asia.
Some of the divisions owned by Ramsay are
- Ramsay Health Care UK
- Ramsay Sante, France
- Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care
- Ramsay Pharmacy
Employee Satisfaction
Ramsay Health Care has a rating score ranging from 3.1 out of a total of 5 on different jobs multinationals find sites, with 85% of the company’s reviewers saying that its salaries are high or average. (Sources: SEEK, Indeed Australia)
Commonwealth Bank
Number of employees: 49,454
Key Information
Founding year | 1911 |
Industry | Banking and financial services |
Market cap | 131.88 billion AUD |
Headquarters | Sydney, NSW, Australia |
Stock symbol | CBA |
Commonwealth Bank Overview
Established in 1911, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia was initially a govt entity but was later privatized in 1996 and is one of the four largest banks in Australia, otherwise known as the “big four”.
It is currently the 2nd largest listed company on the ASX-200 index and is one of those rare employers that have jumped 3 places since last year in our list of largest Australian employers.
Employee Satisfaction
Commonwealth Bank has ratings in the range of 3.5 to 4 out of a total score of 5 based on its employees’ reviews on various job-finding sites.
A huge percentage (88%) of employee reviews suggest that company salaries are high or average. (Source: SEEK, Indeed Australia)
BHP Group Limited
Number of employees: 49,089
Key Information
Founding year | 1885 |
Industry | Metals and Mining |
Market cap | 150.89 billion AUD |
Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Stock symbol | BHP |
BHP Group Limited Overview
BHP Group Limited is one of the Top Mining Companies in Australia and the world.
It features on the ASX-200 index as the top company with a whopping market cap of 182 billion AUD (approx.).
The company is multinational mining, metals, and natural gas petroleum company, and in 2017, it became the world’s largest mining company by market capitalization.
Employee Satisfaction
BHP has a rating score of 3.6 to 4.1 out of 5 based on its employees’ reviews on various job-finding sites.
Moreover, 93% of the reviews rate the company’s salaries as high or average. (Sources: SEEK, Indeed Australia)
Worley
Number of employees: 48,223
Key Information
Founding year | 1971 |
Industry | Resources and Energy |
Market cap | 5.24 billion AUD |
Headquarters | North Sydney, NSW, Australia |
Stock symbol | WOR |
Worley Overview
WorleyParsons Limited, or more commonly Worley is an American-Australian engineering company that provides consulting and project management services in the energy sector.
Worley has a worldwide pool of engineers, scientists, data scientists, and construction workers to provide solutions in complex energy, chemical, and resources sectors.
Despite its relatively lower ranking on the ASX-200 (75th, source: Market Index), the company still employs a major chunk of workers and ranks at number 6 in our compiled list.
Employee Satisfaction
Worley has a rating score of 3.2 to 3.9 out of a total of 5 based on its employees’ reviews on various job-finding sites.
A vast majority of reviews (88%) rate their salaries as high or average. (Sources: SEEK, Indeed Australia)
SONIC Healthcare
Number of employees: 41,000
Key Information
Founding year | 1987 |
Industry | Medical Diagnostic Services |
Market cap | 7.86 billion AUD |
Headquarters | Sydney, NSW, Australia |
Stock symbol | SHL |
Sonic Healthcare Group Overview
Replacing CIMIC from our 2023 list is the new entrant, Sonic Healthcare.
Sonic Healthcare is the largest laboratory medicine company in Australia, Germany, the UK, and Switzerland, and the third largest in the US.
Sonic Clinical Services is Australia’s biggest medical center operator, collaborating with 2,000 general practitioners in more than 200 centers. Moreover, it is the second biggest provider of radiology services in Australia, boasting over 120 centers.
The company also operates laboratories in Belgium and New Zealand.
Employee Satisfaction
Sonic Healthcare has received a rating of 3.3 out of 5, according to 288 anonymous employee reviews. The overall rating of Sonic Healthcare is 3.3 out of 5, derived from over 288 reviews submitted anonymously by employees. (Source: Glassdoor)
ANZ Bank
Number of employees: 40,342
Key Information
Founding year | 1951 |
Industry | Banking |
Market cap | 55.95 billion AUD |
Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia |
Stock symbol | ANZ |
ANZ Overview
ANZ Bank is one of the big four banks in Australia, operating in Australia, New Zealand, and 20 other countries.
The bank offers personal and retail banking, wealth management, and insurance.
It has a long history dating back to 1835 and provides a comprehensive range of financial services including mortgages, banking, and insurance.
Employee Satisfaction
With a 4 out of 5 rating by 5000+ employees and 83% of past or present employees willing to recommend the bank to their friends for employment on Glassdoor, ANZ ticks all the boxes of a ‘good place to work’ for us. (source : glassdoor)
NAB
Number of employees: 38,516
Key Information
Founding year | 1982 |
Industry | Banking |
Market cap | 69.67 billion AUD |
Headquarters | Melbourne. Australia |
Stock symbol | NAB |
NAB Overview
The National Australia Bank (NAB) is one of the big four banks in Australia, headquartered in Melbourne.
NAB is known for its large market share and early adoption of Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
The bank introduced the world’s first kangaroo-named ATM, and in 1981, two banks merged to form NAB.
In 2000, NAB split into two separate entities – NAB and Westpac Banking Corporation.
Employee Satisfaction
NAB has a rating of 3.8 out of a total score of 5 based on its employees’ reviews on glassdoor and 3 out of 5 on seek with employees rating it high on work life balance but poor on management.
The company also gets good rating for salary and perks paid to the employees.
(Source : Glassdoor, Seek)
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