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AustraliaCommunity profile

Greater Sydney

Occupation of employment

There were more professionals in Greater Sydney in 2021 than any other occupation.

Greater Sydney's occupation statistics quantify the occupations in which the residents work (which may be within the residing area or elsewhere). This will be influenced by the economic base and employment opportunities available in the area, education levels, and the working and social aspirations of the population. When viewed with other indicators, such as Educational Qualifications and Individual Income, Occupation is a key measure for evaluating Greater Sydney's socio-economic status and skill base.

Q:

Derived from the two Census questions:

'In the main job held last week, what was the person's occupation?' and 'What are the main tasks that the person himself/herself usually performs in that occupation?'

Occupation of employment
Greater Sydney - Employed persons (Usual residence)20212011Change
OccupationNumber%Victoria %Number%Victoria %2011 to 2021
Managers368,87615.214.0273,89913.313.2+94,977
Professionals711,72929.325.0526,57225.522.3+185,157
Technicians and Trades Workers254,55510.512.6251,46612.213.9+3,089
Community and Personal Service Workers225,0629.311.0182,0728.89.3+42,990
Clerical and Administrative Workers334,50413.812.4333,44416.214.4+1,060
Sales Workers188,5567.88.3185,9809.09.7+2,576
Machinery Operators And Drivers136,0335.65.9118,1655.76.1+17,868
Labourers164,3356.88.8151,3317.39.0+13,004
Not stated or inadequately described47,0461.92.040,3722.02.2+6,674
Total employed persons aged 15+2,430,704100.0100.02,063,301100.0100.0+367,403
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information

Dominant groups

An analysis of the jobs held by the resident population in Greater Sydney in 2021 shows the three most popular occupations were:

  • Professionals (711,729 people or 29.3%)
  • Managers (368,876 people or 15.2%)
  • Clerical and Administrative Workers (334,504 people or 13.8%)

In combination these three occupations accounted for 1,415,109 people in total or 58.2% of the employed resident population.

In comparison, Victoria employed 25.0% in Professionals; 14.0% in Managers; and 12.4% in Clerical and Administrative Workers.

The major differences between the jobs held by the population of Greater Sydney and Victoria were:

  • A larger percentage of persons employed as Professionals (29.3% compared to 25.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Technicians and Trades Workers (10.5% compared to 12.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Labourers (6.8% compared to 8.8%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Community and Personal Service Workers (9.3% compared to 11.0%)

Emerging groups

The number of employed people in Greater Sydney increased by 367,403 between 2011 and 2021.

The largest changes in the occupations of residents between 2011 and 2021 in Greater Sydney were for those employed as:

  • Professionals (+185,157 persons)
  • Managers (+94,977 persons)
  • Community and Personal Service Workers (+42,990 persons)
  • Machinery Operators And Drivers (+17,868 persons)

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