https://www.rba.gov.au/speeches/2019/sp-dg-2019-10-17.html  5/17  10/17/2019  Housing and the Economy | Speeches | RBA  Table 1: Employment Related to Residential Construction Share of Total Employment; 2016/17 (per cent) Residential construction  2.0  Construction services  1.0  Manufacturing  0.8  Distribution  0.6  Business services  0.6  Household services  0.3  Other  0.3  Total  5.8  Sources: ABS; RBA  As the residential construction sector downturn continues over the next year, the impact will be felt in these sectors too.
However, before this comes across as too gloomy, there are a number of mitigants. Firstly, depending on the skills they have, a number of these workers can shift to the nonresidential construction sector where activity is at a high level and is likely to remain so in the period ahead. This includes the high level of infrastructure spending, but is not limited to that.