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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)20212016Change
OccupationNumber%Canberra %Number%Canberra %2016 to 2021
Managers368,87615.217.9311,76513.715.9+57,111
Professionals711,72929.331.5597,80426.330.5+113,925
Technicians and Trades Workers254,55510.59.6265,05611.79.6-10,501
Community and Personal Service Workers225,0629.310.9218,2099.610.5+6,853
Clerical and Administrative Workers334,50413.814.5331,13614.616.9+3,368
Sales Workers188,5567.86.1205,0549.06.8-16,498
Machinery Operators And Drivers136,0335.62.4128,0215.62.3+8,012
Labourers164,3356.85.0171,4507.55.0-7,115
Not stated or inadequately described47,0461.92.144,2281.92.5+2,818
Total employed persons aged 15+2,430,704100.0100.02,272,723100.0100.0+157,981
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 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, Canberra employed 31.5% in Professionals; 17.9% in Managers; and 14.5% in Clerical and Administrative Workers.

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

  • A larger percentage of persons employed as Machinery Operators And Drivers (5.6% compared to 2.4%)
  • A larger percentage of persons employed as Labourers (6.8% compared to 5.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Managers (15.2% compared to 17.9%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Professionals (29.3% compared to 31.5%)

Emerging groups

The number of employed people in Greater Sydney increased by 157,981 between 2016 and 2021.

The largest changes in the occupations of residents between 2016 and 2021 in Greater Sydney were for those employed as:

  • Professionals (+113,925 persons)
  • Managers (+57,111 persons)
  • Sales Workers (-16,498 persons)
  • Technicians and Trades Workers (-10,501 persons)

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