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 New South Wales in 2021 than any other occupation.
New South Wales'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 New South Wales'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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales - Employed persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2011 | Change | ||||
| Occupation | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | 2011 to 2021 |
| Managers | 536,820 | 14.6 | 13.6 | 418,306 | 13.3 | 12.3 | +118,514 |
| Professionals | 952,131 | 25.8 | 26.5 | 713,498 | 22.7 | 23.6 | +238,633 |
| Technicians and Trades Workers | 436,589 | 11.9 | 12.1 | 414,681 | 13.2 | 13.5 | +21,908 |
| Community and Personal Service Workers | 390,779 | 10.6 | 10.8 | 297,680 | 9.5 | 9.3 | +93,099 |
| Clerical and Administrative Workers | 480,612 | 13.0 | 13.2 | 473,170 | 15.1 | 15.7 | +7,442 |
| Sales Workers | 294,889 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 290,507 | 9.3 | 9.4 | +4,382 |
| Machinery Operators And Drivers | 222,186 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 199,486 | 6.4 | 6.0 | +22,700 |
| Labourers | 300,966 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 273,140 | 8.7 | 8.2 | +27,826 |
| Not stated or inadequately described | 69,203 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 57,847 | 1.8 | 1.9 | +11,356 |
| Total employed persons aged 15+ | 3,684,158 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 3,138,315 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +545,843 |
Dominant groups
An analysis of the jobs held by the resident population in New South Wales in 2021 shows the three most popular occupations were:
- Professionals (952,131 people or 25.8%)
- Managers (536,820 people or 14.6%)
- Clerical and Administrative Workers (480,612 people or 13.0%)
In combination these three occupations accounted for 1,969,563 people in total or 53.5% of the employed resident population.
In comparison, Greater Capital Cities employed 26.5% in Professionals; 13.6% in Managers; and 13.2% in Clerical and Administrative Workers.
There were no major differences between New South Wales and Greater Capital Cities in 2021.
Emerging groups
The number of employed people in New South Wales increased by 545,843 between 2011 and 2021.
The largest changes in the occupations of residents between 2011 and 2021 in New South Wales were for those employed as:
- Professionals (+238,633 persons)
- Managers (+118,514 persons)
- Community and Personal Service Workers (+93,099 persons)
- Labourers (+27,826 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/.