Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Census: Occupation

	MEDIA RELEASE
23 October 2017		142/2017

The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons employed in professional occupations such as health and education has increased by over 75 per cent in ten years, reveals latest data from the 2016 Census.

The Census also recorded that Community and Personal Service Workers, including aged care, child care, emergency services and personal services, has overtaken Labourers to become the largest occupational grouping for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons.

Census Program Manager Bindi Kindermann said the ten-year patterns showed interesting changes in occupations.

“Every one of the top five occupation categories for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons grew in workers by at least 52 per cent from 2006 to 2016 except for Labourers which fell by 4.5 per cent over the same period,” Ms Kindermann said.

The Census saw almost a 66 per cent increase in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons employed as Community and Personal Service Workers between 2006 and 2016, representing 17 per cent of the total of employed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons aged 15 and over.

During the same period, the Census recorded a 76 per cent increase in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons working in professional occupations.

The most common occupation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in the 2016 Census was Community and Personal Service Workers, almost 25 per cent of the total. For men, it was Technician and Trades Workers, approximately 22 per cent.

Census data is available free online. Use one of our easy tools such as QuickStats or Community Profiles to access the latest data for your area or topic of interest.


OCCUPATION

Employed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons – by Occupation

	2016	2011	Growth (%)
Community and Personal Service Workers	30,991	24,486	26.6%
Labourers	27,814	25,936	7.2%
Technicians and Trades Workers	24,399	19,007	28.4%
Professionals	24,339	19,358	25.7%
Clerical and Administrative Workers	23,174	19,216	20.6%
Machinery Operators and Drivers	16,774	13,689	22.5%
Sales Workers	15,791	10,961	44.1%
Managers	12,844	9,406	36.6%

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons – Top 10 Occupations (2 digit level)

Occupation (2 digit level)	Employed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons
Carers and Aides	14,365
Sales Assistants and Salespersons	11,490
Cleaners and Laundry Workers	6,644
Road and Rail Drivers	6,483
Health and Welfare Support Workers	6,326
Education Professionals	6,325
Construction Trades Workers	6,032
Specialist Managers	5,929
Automotive and Engineering Trades Workers	5,804
General Clerical Workers	5,421