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Cairns Regional CouncilCommunity profile
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Cairns

Occupation of employment

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There were more professionals in Cairns in 2021 than any other occupation.

Cairns'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 Cairns'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?'

Refers to:

Employed persons aged 15 years and over

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Occupation of employment
Cairns - Employed persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
OccupationNumber%Queensland (excl. SEQ) %Number%Queensland (excl. SEQ) %2016 to 2021
Managers8,81411.112.17,92911.012.4+885
Professionals16,23520.416.213,93619.215.5+2,299
Technicians and Trades Workers11,93115.015.410,82615.015.9+1,105
Community and Personal Service Workers11,88714.913.09,95113.711.6+1,936
Clerical and Administrative Workers9,53112.011.49,54513.212.0-14
Sales Workers7,5259.48.47,76710.79.1-242
Machinery Operators And Drivers4,4785.69.04,0875.69.2+391
Labourers7,8749.912.57,1389.912.7+736
Not stated or inadequately described1,3721.72.01,2321.71.6+140
Total employed persons aged 15+79,649100.0100.072,411100.0100.0+7,238
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
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (Usual residence data). Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2016 and 2021 (Usual residence data). Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).

Dominant groups

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

  • Professionals (16,235 people or 20.4%)
  • Technicians and Trades Workers (11,931 people or 15.0%)
  • Community and Personal Service Workers (11,887 people or 14.9%)

In combination these three occupations accounted for 40,053 people in total or 50.3% of the employed resident population.

In comparison, Queensland (excl. SEQ) employed 16.2% in Professionals; 15.4% in Technicians and Trades Workers; and 13.0% in Community and Personal Service Workers.

The major differences between the jobs held by the population of Cairns and Queensland (excl. SEQ) were:

  • A larger percentage of persons employed as Professionals (20.4% compared to 16.2%)
  • A larger percentage of persons employed as Community and Personal Service Workers (14.9% compared to 13.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Machinery Operators And Drivers (5.6% compared to 9.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Labourers (9.9% compared to 12.5%)

Emerging groups

The number of employed people in Cairns increased by 7,238 between 2016 and 2021.

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

  • Professionals (+2,299 persons)
  • Community and Personal Service Workers (+1,936 persons)
  • Technicians and Trades Workers (+1,105 persons)
  • Managers (+885 persons)

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