Wholesale Trade

Industry overview

Wholesale Trade involves the purchase and onselling, the commission-based buying, and the commission-based selling of goods, without significant transformation, to businesses. 

• Wholesale Trade provided $16.1 billion to Victoria's output in 2013-14, representing 5 per cent of the total.
• The sector employs approximately 111,500 people, with a decline of 3 per cent over the past five years. While overall industry employment declined, sub-sectors such as Machinery and Equipment Wholesaling and Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Parts Wholesaling saw growth over this period.

Industry training

• Wholesale Trade related courses accounted for 837 government subsidised enrolments in 2014. TAFE fee-for-service provision in the sector had less than 5 enrolments.
• Apprenticeships decreased by 90 per cent to 9 government subsidised enrolments between 2009 and 2014.
• Traineeships decreased by 41 per cent to 64 government subsidised enrolments between 2009 and 2014.
• In 2014, there were no government subsidised enrolments related to specialised or in shortage occupations.
• There were 15 training providers delivering government subsidised training related to the Wholesale Trade sector in 2014.  TAFEs provided 5 per cent of government subsidised enrolments in 2014. Private Registered Training Organisations' (RTOs) share of government subsidised vocational training was 92 per cent in 2014.

The largest number of course enrolments by occupation include:

• Purchasing Officer
• Fashion Designer
• Retail Supervisors
• Sales Representative (Building and Plumbing Supplies)
• Nurseryperson

Main training packages

Occupations with skills in demand

We anticipate that the following occupations will have good employment prospects in the near future as they are experiencing shortages, are already a large occupation group or are anticipating strong growth from 2014-2019.

Occupations with shortages

There are no identified skill shortage occupations for this industry.

Largest employing occupations

In 2014, the top five employing occupations in the Wholesale Trade industry accounted for 29 per cent of all employment within the industry. They are:

• Storepersons
• Sales Representatives
• Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Managers
• Purchasing and Supply Logistics Clerks
• Importers, Exporters and Wholesalers

Occupations anticipating strongest growth (2014 to 2019)

Over the next five years (2014-2019), the following occupations are forecast to have the strongest growth:

• Importers, Exporters and Wholesalers
• Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Managers
• Storepersons
• Sales Representatives
• Accounting Clerks
• Technical Sales Representatives

Skills and training market publications

• Skills and Training Needs 2013 - Wholesale Trade (pdf - 1.29mb)
• Skills and Training Needs 2013 - Wholesale Trade

​Vocational training enrolments summary

• Wholesale Trade Enrolments 2014 (pdf - 366.94kb)
• Wholesale Trade Enrolments 2014 (docx - 72.87kb)

• Industry Overview: Summary Tables 2014 (pdf - 404.01kb)
• Industry Overview: Summary Tables 2014

Links

For more information on training market trends see: Victorian Training Market Quarterly Reports

For more information on occupations, courses and the Victorian Training Guarantee, see: Victorian Skills Gateway

Key contacts

Wholesale Trade resides within Portfolio B. Key contacts for Portfolio B can be found at: Industry Skills Portfolio Teams.​