Australia’s healthcare sector, already the largest employer in the country, is getting even bigger.

According to detailed labour force data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), employment in the health care and social assistance sector jumped by 47,200 in the three months to February, accounting for a whopping 63% of total employment growth nationwide over this period.

Over the year, the sector also recorded the largest employment growth at 154,700, outpacing construction, retail and education at 87,100, 86,600 and 64,100 respectively.

Ageing demographics, along with the roll-out of the government’s NDIS, go some way to explaining the scale of hiring seen in the healthcare sector over the past year.

Reflecting broad-based strength across the labour market, the ABS said 14 out of 19 sectors added jobs over the year.

With hiring growing rapidly in the healthcare sector, its share of total employment in Australia swelled to 13.7%, or 1.708 million.

Retail trade, at 10.5%, along with the construction sector with 9.6%, remain the second and third-largest employers in the country.

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