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Indigenous Statistics for Schools
 



Image: Industry and OccupationINDUSTRY AND OCCUPATION


Occupation

Occupation refers to the type of job a person does, or the type of skills a person uses for their employment. At the time of the 2006 Census the most common occupation for employed Indigenous people in Australia was Labourers (24%), followed by:
( please hover mouse over occupation to see description)

    In contrast, the most common occupations for employed non-Indigenous people were:
    (please hover mouse over occupation to see description)



      Occupation by Indigenous status and sex (a), 2006
      Indigenous (%)
      Non-Indigenous (%)
      Males
      Females
      Persons
      Males
      Females
      Persons
      Managers
      6.0
      5.1
      5.6
      16.2
      9.9
      13.3
      Professionals
      8.1
      15.0
      11.3
      17.5
      23.0
      20.0
      Technicians and Trade Workers
      19.1
      3.9
      12.0
      22.8
      4.6
      14.4
      Community and Personal Service Workers
      8.7
      22.7
      15.2
      5.0
      13.0
      8.7
      Clerical and Administrative Workers
      5.0
      20.9
      12.4
      6.5
      25.1
      15.1
      Sales Workers
      3.7
      10.3
      6.8
      7.0
      13.2
      9.9
      Machinery Operators and Drivers
      13.9
      1.6
      8.2
      11.0
      1.5
      6.6
      Labourers
      30.3
      16.2
      23.7
      12.0
      8.1
      10.2
      Inadequately described
      5.3
      4.3
      4.9
      1.9
      1.5
      1.7
      (a) Employed persons aged 15 years and over, Census, 2006.
      Source: Indigenous Community Profiles, Australia, 2006 Census.

      The top three occupations for Indigenous females in Australia were Community and Personal Service Workers (23%), Clerical and Administrative Workers (21%) and Labourers (16%). This differed to non-Indigenous females, for whom the top three occupations were Clerical and Administrative Workers (25%), Professionals(23%), Community and Personal Service Workers, and Sales Workers (both 13%).

      The top three occupations for Indigenous males were Labourers (30%), Technicians & Trade Workers (19%) and Machinery Operators and Drivers (14%). Non-Indigenous males were more likely to have occupations as Technicians & Trade Workers (23%), Professionals (18%) and Managers(16%).

      Indigenous women were almost twice as likely to be working as a Professional (15%) compared to Indigenous males (8%). The difference between genders was less pronounced among the non-Indigenous population, with 23% of females employed as Professionals compared to 17% of males.


      Occupation by Indigenous status, Males, 2006

      Source: Indigenous Community Profiles, Australia, 2006 Census.


      Occupation by Indigenous status, Females, 2006

      Source: Indigenous Community Profiles, Australia, 2006 Census.



      Further Information: See the Glossary for descriptions of occupations, or Australian New Zealand Standards Classifications of Occupations (ANSCO) - cat.no 1220.0 for more in-depth occupation classifications. The tables and graphs on this page are based on the Indigenous Community Profiles, Australia, 2006 Census.

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