1377.0 - Measures of a knowledge-based economy and society, Australia, 2003  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 22/12/2004  Ceased
   Page tools: Print Print Page  
Contents >> Human Capital Indicators >> Main field of highest educational attainment by labour force status

CHARACTERISTIC: STOCK OF SKILLED PEOPLE

INDICATOR: Main field of highest non-school qualification by labour force status

The percentage of persons employed part-time varied from 33% for those whose highest non-school qualification was in the field of Health, to 7% for those whose main field of highest non-school qualification was Engineering and related technologies. Females experienced a higher percentage of part-time employment, whatever the field of highest non-school qualification.

PERSONS WITH A NON-SCHOOL QUALIFICATION, MAIN FIELD OF HIGHEST QUALIFICATION BY LABOUR FORCE STATUS, MAY 2004(a)

Main field of highest non-school qualification
Employed
full-time
Employed
part-time
Unemployed
Not in the
labour force
%
%
%
%

Natural and physical sciences
63.3
17.2
2.9
16.6
Information technology
63.5
15.8
7.0
13.7
Engineering and related technologies
79.0
6.7
2.6
11.7
Architecture and building
79.6
8.2
2.1
10.2
Agriculture, environmental & related studies
72.2
13.1
*4.0
10.6
Health
49.0
32.7
1.9
16.5
Education
56.4
25.7
1.8
16.1
Management and commerce
60.5
19.3
3.7
16.4
Society and culture
54.8
24.6
3.2
17.3
Creative arts
50.8
28.4
4.0
16.8
Food, hospitality and personal services
47.9
24.0
4.9
23.1

* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
(a) Labour force status as a proportion of all persons with each main field of highest non-school qualification.
Source: ABS Survey of Education and Work, May 2004.

FEMALES WITH A NON-SCHOOL QUALIFICATION, MAIN FIELD OF HIGHEST QUALIFICATION BY LABOUR FORCE STATUS, MAY 2004(a)

Main field of highest non-school qualification
Employed
full-time
Employed
part-time
Unemployed
Not in the
labour force
%
%
%
%

Natural and physical sciences
48.1
25.5
*2.2
24.2
Information technology
47.7
23.6
*5.7
23.0
Engineering and related technologies
41.7
20.7
*4.6
32.9
Architecture and building
44.2
31.5
**2.0
22.4
Agriculture, environmental & related studies
51.0
24.3
**1.9
22.8
Health
39.9
39.0
1.7
19.4
Education
48.7
30.5
2.1
18.7
Management and commerce
48.0
26.6
3.7
21.7
Society and culture
45.8
29.8
3.4
21.0
Creative arts
39.8
35.6
*3.0
21.6
Food, hospitality and personal services
32.2
32.7
4.4
30.8

* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
** estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use
(a) Labour force status as a proportion of all persons with each main field of highest non-school qualification.
Source: ABS Survey of Education and Work, May 2004.


MALES WITH A NON-SCHOOL QUALIFICATION, MAIN FIELD OF HIGHEST QUALIFICATION BY LABOUR FORCE STATUS , MAY 2004(a)

Main field of highest non-school qualification
Employed
full-time
Employed
part-time
Unemployed
Not in the
labour force
%
%
%
%

Natural and physical sciences
75.5
10.6
*3.4
10.6
Information technology
72.2
11.5
7.7
8.5
Engineering and related technologies
81.7
5.7
2.4
10.2
Architecture and building
82.4
6.3
2.1
9.2
Agriculture, environmental & related studies
78.8
9.7
*4.7
6.8
Health
78.6
12.0
*2.5
7.0
Education
80.3
10.6
*1.1
8.0
Management and commerce
81.6
7.2
3.6
7.6
Society and culture
74.0
13.5
2.8
9.6
Creative arts
66.5
18.1
5.4
9.9
Food, hospitality and personal services
72.8
10.3
5.9
11.0

* estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution
(a) Labour force status as a proportion of all persons with each main field of highest non-school qualification.
Source: ABS Survey of Education and Work, May 2004.

STATISTICAL NOTES

Employed persons
Persons aged 15-64 years who, during the reference week: worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind, in a job or business or on a farm (comprising employees, employers and own account workers); or worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (i.e. contributing family workers); or were employees who had a job but were not at work and were: away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the reference week; or away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week period to the end of the reference week; or away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement; or on strike or locked out; or on workers' compensation and expected to return to their job; or were employers or own account workers who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.

Field of Education
Field of Education is defined as the subject matter of an educational activity. It is categorised according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education(ASCED)(cat.no. 1272.0) Field of Education classification.

Non-school qualification
Non-school qualifications are awarded for educational attainments other than those of pre-primary, primary or secondary education. They include qualifications at the Postgraduate Degree level, Master Degree level, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate level, Bachelor Degree level, Advanced Diploma and Diploma level, and Certificates I, II, III and IV levels. Non-school qualifications may be attained concurrently with school qualifications.

The Labour Force Framework
The labour force is the most widely used measure of the economically active population. The term ‘labour force’ as defined in the international standards is associated with a particular approach to the measurement of employment and unemployment. Essentially this approach is the categorisation of persons according to their activities during a short reference period by using a specific set of priority rules.

The labour force framework classifies the in-scope population into three mutually exclusive categories, at a given moment in time:employed; unemployed; and not in the labour force. The employed and unemployed categories together make up the labour force which gives a measure of the number of persons contributing to, or willing to contribute to, the supply of labour at that time. The third category (not in the labour force) represents the currently inactive population.

For more information see ABS Labour Statistics: Concepts Sources and Methods, cat. no. 6102.0 2001.

Indicator originally proposed in Framework
The ABS Discussion Paper, Measuring a knowledge-based economy and society, An Australian Framework (cat. no. 1375.0) proposed the indicator 'Labour force status of those with science and technology qualifications'. Main field of highest non-school qualification includes all main fields of education including science and technology.



Previous PageNext Page