Cairns Regional Council area

Occupations of employment

There are more professionals in Cairns Regional Council area than any other occupation.

Cairns Regional Council area'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 Regional Council area's socio-economic status and skill base.

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?'

Persons aged 15 years and over

reset
export
Occupation of employment
Cairns Regional Council area 2011 2006 Change
Occupation Number % Regional QLD Number % Regional QLD 2006 to 2011
Managers 8,548 11.5 12.5 8,226 12.1 13.3 +322
Professionals 12,884 17.3 15.6 10,472 15.4 14.2 +2,412
Technicians and Trades Workers 11,896 16.0 16.3 11,375 16.7 16.5 +521
Community and Personal Service Workers 9,168 12.3 10.3 7,710 11.3 9.4 +1,458
Clerical and Administrative Workers 10,577 14.2 13.2 9,470 13.9 13.1 +1,107
Sales Workers 8,119 10.9 10.2 7,767 11.4 10.6 +352
Machinery Operators And Drivers 4,371 5.9 8.2 4,087 6.0 7.8 +284
Labourers 7,579 10.2 11.9 7,797 11.5 13.4 -218
Inadequately described 1,374 1.8 1.8 1,158 1.7 1.8 +216
Total employed persons aged 15+ 74,516 100.0 100.0 68,062 100.0 100.0 +6,454

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2006 and 2011. Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id, the population experts.

Please refer to the specific data notes for more information

Occupation of employment, 2011
Occupation of employment, 2011 Managers, Regional QLD: 12.5% Professionals, Regional QLD: 15.6% Technicians and Trades Workers, Regional QLD: 16.3% Community and Personal Service Workers, Regional QLD: 10.3% Clerical and Administrative Workers, Regional QLD: 13.2% Sales Workers, Regional QLD: 10.2% Machinery Operators And Drivers, Regional QLD: 8.2% Labourers, Regional QLD: 11.9% Inadequately described, Regional QLD: 1.8% Managers, Cairns Regional Council area: 11.5% Professionals, Cairns Regional Council area: 17.3% Technicians and Trades Workers, Cairns Regional Council area: 16.0% Community and Personal Service Workers, Cairns Regional Council area: 12.3% Clerical and Administrative Workers, Cairns Regional Council area: 14.2% Sales Workers, Cairns Regional Council area: 10.9% Machinery Operators And Drivers, Cairns Regional Council area: 5.9% Labourers, Cairns Regional Council area: 10.2% Inadequately described, Cairns Regional Council area: 1.8% ​
export
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2011 (Usual residence data)
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id, the population experts.
Change in occupation of employment, 2006 to 2011
Change in occupation of employment, 2006 to 2011 Managers, Cairns Regional Council area: +322 Professionals, Cairns Regional Council area: +2,412 Technicians and Trades Workers, Cairns Regional Council area: +521 Community and Personal Service Workers, Cairns Regional Council area: +1,458 Clerical and Administrative Workers, Cairns Regional Council area: +1,107 Sales Workers, Cairns Regional Council area: +352 Machinery Operators And Drivers, Cairns Regional Council area: +284 Labourers, Cairns Regional Council area: -218 Inadequately described, Cairns Regional Council area: +216 ​
export
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2006 and 2011 (Usual residence data)
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id, the population experts.

Dominant groups

An analysis of the jobs held by the resident population in Cairns Regional Council area in 2011 shows the three most popular occupations were:

  • Professionals (12,884 people or 17.3%)
  • Technicians and Trades Workers (11,896 people or 16.0%)
  • Clerical and Administrative Workers (10,577 people or 14.2%)

In combination these three occupations accounted for 35,357 people in total or 47.4% of the employed resident population.

In comparison, Regional QLD employed 15.6% in Professionals; 16.3% in Technicians and Trades Workers; and 13.2% in Clerical and Administrative Workers.

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

  • A larger percentage of persons employed as Community and Personal Service Workers (12.3% compared to 10.3%)
  • A larger percentage of persons employed as Professionals (17.3% compared to 15.6%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Machinery Operators And Drivers (5.9% compared to 8.2%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Labourers (10.2% compared to 11.9%)

Emerging groups

The number of employed people in Cairns Regional Council area increased by 6,454 between 2006 and 2011.

The largest changes in the occupations of residents between 2006 and 2011 in Cairns Regional Council area were for those employed as:

  • Professionals (+2,412 persons)
  • Community and Personal Service Workers (+1,458 persons)
  • Clerical and Administrative Workers (+1,107 persons)
  • Technicians and Trades Workers (+521 persons)