Powered by .id (informed decisions) for Australia
.id community is an evidence base for over 250 local government areas in Australia and New Zealand, helping you make informed decisions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT .idThere were more professionals in Western Australia in 2021 than any other occupation.
Western Australia'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 Western Australia'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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Australia - Employed persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2006 | Change | ||||
| Occupation | Number | % | Regional QLD % | Number | % | Regional QLD % | 2006 to 2021 |
| Managers | 160,687 | 12.3 | 12.4 | 117,034 | 12.5 | 13.3 | +43,653 |
| Professionals | 287,009 | 22.0 | 18.0 | 173,955 | 18.6 | 14.2 | +113,054 |
| Technicians and Trades Workers | 199,379 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 153,567 | 16.4 | 16.5 | +45,812 |
| Community and Personal Service Workers | 154,341 | 11.8 | 13.0 | 82,922 | 8.9 | 9.4 | +71,419 |
| Clerical and Administrative Workers | 157,610 | 12.1 | 11.8 | 135,980 | 14.5 | 13.1 | +21,630 |
| Sales Workers | 101,670 | 7.8 | 9.1 | 88,075 | 9.4 | 10.6 | +13,595 |
| Machinery Operators And Drivers | 100,392 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 67,893 | 7.3 | 7.8 | +32,499 |
| Labourers | 122,961 | 9.4 | 11.2 | 102,022 | 10.9 | 13.4 | +20,939 |
| Not stated or inadequately described | 22,205 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 14,679 | 1.6 | 1.8 | +7,526 |
| Total employed persons aged 15+ | 1,306,249 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 936,127 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +370,122 |
Dominant groups
An analysis of the jobs held by the resident population in Western Australia in 2021 shows the three most popular occupations were:
- Professionals (287,009 people or 22.0%)
- Technicians and Trades Workers (199,379 people or 15.3%)
- Managers (160,687 people or 12.3%)
In combination these three occupations accounted for 647,075 people in total or 49.5% of the employed resident population.
In comparison, Regional QLD employed 18.0% in Professionals; 15.1% in Technicians and Trades Workers; and 12.4% in Managers.
The major differences between the jobs held by the population of Western Australia and Regional QLD were:
- A larger percentage of persons employed as Professionals (22.0% compared to 18.0%)
- A smaller percentage of persons employed as Labourers (9.4% compared to 11.2%)
- A smaller percentage of persons employed as Sales Workers (7.8% compared to 9.1%)
- A smaller percentage of persons employed as Community and Personal Service Workers (11.8% compared to 13.0%)
Emerging groups
The number of employed people in Western Australia increased by 370,122 between 2006 and 2021.
The largest changes in the occupations of residents between 2006 and 2021 in Western Australia were for those employed as:
- Professionals (+113,054 persons)
- Community and Personal Service Workers (+71,419 persons)
- Technicians and Trades Workers (+45,812 persons)
- Managers (+43,653 persons)
DISCLAIMER: While all due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this website is accurate and current, there may be errors or omissions in it and no legal responsibility is accepted for the information and opinions in this website.
Please view our Privacy Policy, Terms of use and Legal notices. Stats NZ Data and the copyright in the Stats NZ Data remains the property of the Statistics New Zealand.
The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the Stats NZ Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. Stats NZ Data can be accessed on the Statistics New Zealand website at www.stats.govt.nz. Unless otherwise specified, content that Stats NZ produce is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. For further information see https://www.stats.govt.nz/about-us/copyright/.