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City of Sydney

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander profile - Employment status

1,322 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in the City of Sydney are employed, of which 62% are working full time and 26% part time.

Employment statistics are an important indicator of socio-economic status, as well as the availability of jobs. The levels of full or part-time employment, unemployment and labour force participation among the First Nations population indicate the availability of jobs, and the match of skill levels within the population to the jobs available. A high unemployment rate or a low participation rate may indicate a relatively disadvantaged population unable to access community infrastructure.

Employment status is linked to a number of factors including Age Structure, which influences the number of people in the workforce; the economic base and employment opportunities available in the area and the education and skill base of the population (Occupations, Qualifications).

Derived from the Census question:

'Last week did the person have a full time or part time job of any kind?'

Persons aged 15 years and over

Employment status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - City of Sydney20212011Change
Employment statusNumber%New South Wales - First Nations %Number%New South Wales - First Nations %2011 to 2021
Employed1,32291.592.372483.786.8+598
Employed full-time81656.546.049156.854.5+325
Employed part-time34623.924.917219.925.2+174
Employed, away from work16011.113.8617.17.1+99
Unemployed (Unemployment rate)1238.57.714116.313.2-18
Looking for full-time work815.64.89410.99.1-13
Looking for part-time work422.92.8475.44.0-5

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).

Labour force status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - City of Sydney20212011Change
Labour force statusNumber%New South Wales - First Nations %Number%New South Wales - First Nations %2011 to 2021
Total labour force1,44558.360.086550.056.1+580
Not in the labour force97039.138.179145.740.5+179
Labour force status not stated632.52.0734.23.4-10

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).

Employment status, 2021
Employment status, 2021 Employed full-time, New South Wales - First Nations: 46.0% Employed part-time, New South Wales - First Nations: 24.9% Employed, away from work, New South Wales - First Nations: 13.8% Looking for full-time work, New South Wales - First Nations: 4.8% Looking for part-time work, New South Wales - First Nations: 2.8% Employed full-time, City of Sydney - First Nations: 56.5% Employed part-time, City of Sydney - First Nations: 23.9% Employed, away from work, City of Sydney - First Nations: 11.1% Looking for full-time work, City of Sydney - First Nations: 5.6% Looking for part-time work, City of Sydney - First Nations: 2.9%
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (Usual residence data)
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).
Change in employment status, 2011 to 2021
Change in employment status, 2011 to 2021 Employed full-time, City of Sydney: +325 Employed part-time, City of Sydney: +174 Employed, away from work, City of Sydney: +99 Looking for full-time work, City of Sydney: -13 Looking for part-time work, City of Sydney: -5
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2011 and 2021 (Usual residence data)
Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id (informed decisions).

Emerging groups

The size of the City of Sydney's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander labour force in 2021 was 1,445 people, of which 346 were employed part-time and 816 were full-time workers.

Analysis of the employment status (as a percentage of the labour force) of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in the City of Sydney in 2021 compared to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of New South Wales shows that there was a lower proportion in employment, and a higher proportion unemployed. The unemployed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander labour force was 8.5%, compared with 7.7% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in New South Wales.

The labour force participation rate refers to the proportion of the population over 15 years of age that was employed or actively looking for work.

Analysis of the labour force participation rate of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in the City of Sydney in 2021 shows that there was a lower proportion in the labour force (58.3%) compared with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in New South Wales (60.0%).

Emerging groups

Between 2011 and 2021, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people employed in the City of Sydney showed an increase of 598 people and the number unemployed showed a decrease of 18 people. In the same period, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the labour force showed an increase of 580 people, or 67.1%.

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