idc-logo
svg rectangle color
AustraliaCommunity profile

Australia

Occupation of employment

There were more female professionals in Australia in 2021 than any other occupation.

Australia'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 Australia'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
Australia - Employed females (Usual residence)20212016Change
OccupationNumber%Greater Adelaide %Number%Greater Adelaide %2016 to 2021
Managers652,41911.29.8514,35810.18.8+138,061
Professionals1,624,95227.827.41,313,34125.925.7+311,611
Technicians and Trades Workers259,5044.44.7226,0684.54.5+33,436
Community and Personal Service Workers983,38916.818.7808,82215.917.5+174,567
Clerical and Administrative Workers1,146,58819.619.81,099,87521.721.9+46,713
Sales Workers599,52010.210.4614,71112.112.3-15,191
Machinery Operators And Drivers94,3961.61.067,5791.30.8+26,817
Labourers393,7926.76.8356,3607.07.1+37,432
Not stated or inadequately described94,6561.61.474,9341.51.3+19,722
Total employed persons aged 15+5,849,199100.0100.05,076,048100.0100.0+773,151
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 Australia in 2021 shows the three most popular occupations were:

  • Professionals (1,624,952 females or 27.8%)
  • Clerical and Administrative Workers (1,146,588 females or 19.6%)
  • Community and Personal Service Workers (983,389 females or 16.8%)

In combination these three occupations accounted for 3,754,929 females in total or 64.2% of the employed female resident population.

In comparison, Greater Adelaide employed 27.4% in Professionals; 19.8% in Clerical and Administrative Workers; and 18.7% in Community and Personal Service Workers.

The major differences between the jobs held by the female population of Australia and Greater Adelaide were:

  • A larger percentage of females employed as Managers (11.2% compared to 9.8%)
  • A smaller percentage of females employed as Community and Personal Service Workers (16.8% compared to 18.7%)

Emerging groups

The number of employed females in Australia increased by 773,151 between 2016 and 2021.

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

  • Professionals (+311,611 females)
  • Community and Personal Service Workers (+174,567 females)
  • Managers (+138,061 females)
  • Clerical and Administrative Workers (+46,713 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/.