6273.0 - Employment in Selected Culture/Leisure Occupations, Australia, 1996  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/01/1998   
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MEDIA RELEASE

January 19, 1998
Embargoed 11:30am (AEST)
5/98

Employment profile of cultural occupations

An estimated 157,000 people in Australia were employed in cultural occupations at the time of the August 1996 Census of Population and Housing according to data released today in Employment in Selected Culture/Leisure Occupations, Australia, 1996 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The predominant cultural occupations were media producers, architects, librarians, music teachers (private), photographers, graphic designers, print journalists and instrumental musicians.

Other highlights from the August 1996 Census data include:
  • Fifty-two per cent of the 157,000 people employed in cultural occupations were males and 48 per cent were females. Corresponding figures for all employed persons in Australia were 56 per cent males and 44 per cent females.
  • The age profile of workers in cultural occupations is very similar to that of all employed persons in Australia, with the exception of persons 15-19 years. There were 2.9 per cent of persons with cultural occupations in this age group compared to 6.4 per cent across all occupations.
  • Persons working in cultural occupations received, on average, a higher income than in other occupations. The median weekly income for cultural occupations was $515 compared to $485 for all occupations.
  • Sixty-two per cent of those employed in cultural occupations worked at least 35 hours a week compared to 68 per cent for all employed persons. For those working part time (between 1 and 34 hours), there were 34 per cent in cultural occupations compared to 27 per cent in all occupations.
  • Sixty-four per cent of workers in cultural occupations had some qualifications. Of these, 34 per cent held culture-related qualifications and 30 per cent had qualifications in other fields. This compared to 49 per cent of all employed persons who stated they had a qualification.
  • In addition to the 157,000 persons employed in cultural occupations, a further 98,000 persons were employed by cultural industries in non-cultural occupations (eg a clerical officer in a theatre company). Together there were 255,000 people, or 2.8 per cent of all employed persons, who had their main job in the cultural sector.

Employment in Selected Culture/Leisure Occupations, Australia, 1996 (cat. no. 6273.0) contains details for specific cultural occupations and is available from ABS Bookshops.