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LEARN MORE ABOUT .id259,751 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Australia are employed, of which 56% are working full time and 33% 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).
Q:
Derived from the Census question:
'Last week did the person have a full time or part time job of any kind?'
| Employment status | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - Australia | 2021 | 2016 | Change | ||||
| Employment status | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | 2016 to 2021 |
| Employed | 259,751 | 87.7 | 90.1 | 182,140 | 81.8 | 85.4 | +77,611 |
| Employed full-time | 144,668 | 48.8 | 45.6 | 106,960 | 48.0 | 52.7 | +37,708 |
| Employed part-time | 87,015 | 29.4 | 25.0 | 61,050 | 27.4 | 26.6 | +25,965 |
| Employed, away from work | 28,068 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 14,130 | 6.3 | 6.1 | +13,938 |
| Unemployed (Unemployment rate) | 36,412 | 12.3 | 9.9 | 40,499 | 18.2 | 14.6 | -4,087 |
| Looking for full-time work | 23,063 | 7.8 | 6.0 | 27,984 | 12.6 | 9.7 | -4,921 |
| Looking for part-time work | 13,349 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 12,515 | 5.6 | 4.9 | +834 |
| Total labour force | 296,163 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 222,639 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +73,524 |
| Labour force status | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - Australia | 2021 | 2016 | Change | ||||
| Labour force status | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | Number | % | Greater Capital Cities % | 2016 to 2021 |
| Total labour force | 296,163 | 54.1 | 60.8 | 222,639 | 51.9 | 57.3 | +73,524 |
| Not in the labour force | 234,316 | 42.8 | 37.2 | 190,139 | 44.3 | 40.4 | +44,177 |
| Labour force status not stated | 16,690 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 16,001 | 3.7 | 2.2 | +689 |
| Total people aged 15+ | 547,169 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 428,779 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +118,390 |
Emerging groups
The size of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander labour force in 2021 was 296,163 people, of which 87,015 were employed part-time and 144,668 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 Australia in 2021 compared to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander of Greater Capital Cities shows that there was a lower proportion in employment, and a higher proportion unemployed. The unemployed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander labour force was 12.3%, compared with 9.9% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Greater Capital Cities.
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 Australia in 2021 shows that there was a lower proportion in the labour force (54.1%) compared with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Greater Capital Cities (60.8%).
Emerging groups
Between 2016 and 2021, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people employed in Australia showed an increase of 77,611 people and the number unemployed showed a decrease of 4,087 people. In the same period, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the labour force showed an increase of 73,524 people, or 33.0%.
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