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South East QueenslandCommunity profile

City of Brisbane

Occupation of employment

There were more professionals in the City of Brisbane in 2021 than any other occupation.

The City of Brisbane'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 the City of Brisbane'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
City of Brisbane - Employed persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
OccupationNumber%Sunshine Coast Council %Number%Sunshine Coast Council %2016 to 2021
Managers92,78414.012.374,50213.111.7+18,282
Professionals212,00732.021.1170,41229.919.1+41,595
Technicians and Trades Workers65,2599.915.260,09910.516.2+5,160
Community and Personal Service Workers69,72010.513.457,78410.112.1+11,936
Clerical and Administrative Workers87,01813.112.183,21714.612.9+3,801
Sales Workers50,8487.79.550,3088.811.1+540
Machinery Operators And Drivers28,1894.34.923,4254.15.0+4,764
Labourers45,5926.99.741,8377.310.3+3,755
Not stated or inadequately described10,9051.61.78,8791.61.5+2,026
Total employed persons aged 15+662,318100.0100.0570,463100.0100.0+91,855
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 resident population in City of Brisbane in 2021 shows the three most popular occupations were:

  • Professionals (212,007 people or 32.0%)
  • Managers (92,784 people or 14.0%)
  • Clerical and Administrative Workers (87,018 people or 13.1%)

In combination these three occupations accounted for 391,809 people in total or 59.2% of the employed resident population.

In comparison, Sunshine Coast Council employed 21.1% in Professionals; 12.3% in Managers; and 12.1% in Clerical and Administrative Workers.

The major differences between the jobs held by the population of the City of Brisbane and Sunshine Coast Council were:

  • A larger percentage of persons employed as Professionals (32.0% compared to 21.1%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Technicians and Trades Workers (9.9% compared to 15.2%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Community and Personal Service Workers (10.5% compared to 13.4%)
  • A smaller percentage of persons employed as Labourers (6.9% compared to 9.7%)

Emerging groups

The number of employed people in City of Brisbane increased by 91,855 between 2016 and 2021.

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

  • Professionals (+41,595 persons)
  • Managers (+18,282 persons)
  • Community and Personal Service Workers (+11,936 persons)
  • Technicians and Trades Workers (+5,160 persons)

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