idc-logo
svg rectangle color
Cairns Regional CouncilCommunity profile

Cairns

Occupation of employment

There were more female 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?'

Occupation of employment
Cairns - Employed females (Usual residence)20212016Change
OccupationNumber%Regional QLD %Number%Regional QLD %2016 to 2021
Managers3,7659.410.13,1208.79.8+645
Professionals10,00424.922.68,30723.121.0+1,697
Technicians and Trades Workers1,8784.74.81,5964.44.8+282
Community and Personal Service Workers8,19020.319.26,65818.517.6+1,532
Clerical and Administrative Workers7,64419.019.57,71821.421.4-74
Sales Workers4,77711.911.74,98213.813.6-205
Machinery Operators And Drivers4491.11.83541.01.5+95
Labourers2,9777.48.72,7757.79.0+202
Not stated or inadequately described5651.41.64911.41.3+74
Total employed persons aged 15+40,248100.0100.036,001100.0100.0+4,247
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 female resident population in Cairns in 2021 shows the three most popular occupations were:

  • Professionals (10,004 females or 24.9%)
  • Community and Personal Service Workers (8,190 females or 20.3%)
  • Clerical and Administrative Workers (7,644 females or 19.0%)

In combination these three occupations accounted for 25,838 females in total or 64.2% of the employed female resident population.

In comparison, Regional QLD employed 22.6% in Professionals; 19.2% in Community and Personal Service Workers; and 19.5% in Clerical and Administrative Workers.

The major differences between the jobs held by the female population of Cairns and Regional QLD were:

  • A larger percentage of females employed as Professionals (24.9% compared to 22.6%)
  • A larger percentage of females employed as Community and Personal Service Workers (20.3% compared to 19.2%)
  • A smaller percentage of females employed as Labourers (7.4% compared to 8.7%)

Emerging groups

The number of employed females in Cairns increased by 4,247 between 2016 and 2021.

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

  • Professionals (+1,697 females)
  • Community and Personal Service Workers (+1,532 females)
  • Managers (+645 females)
  • Technicians and Trades Workers (+282 females)

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/.