6281.0 - Work in Selected Culture and Leisure Activities, Australia, Apr 2001  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/12/2001   
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All

MEDIA RELEASE

December 19, 2001
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
149/2001
One In Six Australians Does Culture And Leisure Work

One in six Australians aged 15 or over (2.5 million people or 17%) did some paid or unpaid work in selected culture and leisure activities in the year ended April 2001, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The most popular culture and leisure activities were writing books and articles (536,900 people), visual arts (503,200), crafts (396,400), performing arts (364,600) and design, such as advertising and graphic design (349,800).

About one in three workers (36%) received payment for the culture and leisure activities which they undertook. People most likely to receive payment were those involved in television (65%) and in design activities (60%). They were least likely to get paid for activities such as organising art and craft shows (14%) and working on-stage in the performing arts (11%). Of the 900,000 people who were paid for their involvement, 62% undertook the activity as part of their main job.

More women than men undertook cultural work (1,351,900 compared with 1,159,600) and they outnumbered men in activities such as fete organising, painting, library work and the making of craft items. Men outnumbered women in activities such as music and design.

Similar data were collected previously in 1993 and 1997 and several of the cultural activities show substantial increases in the numbers involved over the eight-year period. The number of people who reported some work as photographers increased by 98% between 1993 and 2001, while the number of painters increased by 90% and the number of live music performers increased by 18%.

Details can be found in Work in Selected Culture and Leisure Activities, Australia, April 2001 (cat. no. 6281.0) available in all ABS bookshops. This media release and a summary of the main findings are also available on this site. If you wish to purchase a copy of this publication contact the ABS Bookshop in your capital city.