Bega Valley Shire

The labour force

The labour force section answers the question:

  • What are the characteristics of the local labour force?

The 'local labour force' differs from the 'workforce' as it includes all people who reside in the local area who are either employed or who are looking for work (unemployed). The local labour force is an important resource for the local economy as it represents the locally available human resources (skills, knowledge and experience) upon which the economy can draw. In a regional area, most industries rely on the local labour force to provide their workers, whereas in metropolitan areas, industries can draw on a labour pool that extends beyond the region.

Field of qualification

Derived from the Census question, "What is the main field of study for the person’s highest qualification completed?"

Educational Qualifications are one of the most important indicators of socio-economic status. With other data sources, such as Income and Occupation, Educational Qualifications help to evaluate the economic opportunities and socio-economic status of residents in a particular area. The field of qualification information indicates, for the highest qualification the person has received, what was the primary field of study. The prevalence of particular fields of study in an area relates to a number of factors, such as:

  • the age of the population;
  • the types of industries and occupations located in the area or within commuting distance, and their qualification requirements;
  • the availability of educational institutions with those curricula nearby;
  • the socio-economic status of the area; and
  • the mobility of the population to move where particular skills are required.

The fields of qualification possessed by people in the area may indicate the demand for particular skills in the area, but may also indicate the historical presence of industries or educational institutions in the area which no longer exist. The presence of particular skills among the residents or the labour force which are not currently utilised in the local workforce may indicate an opportunity for the area to provide a ready labour force for an industry moving into the area.

Educational Qualification information should be looked at in conjunction with Occupation data for a clearer picture of the skills available in the residential population.

Data options:
Select gender:

Field of qualification of the labour force Place of usual residence

Field of qualification by gender of the labour force, Bega Valley Shire2006
Gender Field of studynumber%Regional NSW %
Persons01Natural and Physical Sciences1291.01.2
Persons02Information Technology720.51.0
Persons03Engineering and Related Technologies1,40010.411.5
Persons04Architecture and Building6885.14.3
Persons05Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies4033.02.5
Persons06Health8576.46.1
Persons07Education7595.75.3
Persons08Management and Commerce1,0888.19.4
Persons09Society and Culture6404.84.9
Persons10Creative Arts1961.51.3
Persons11Food, Hospitality and Personal Services5964.43.3
Persons12Mixed Field Programmes60.00.0
Persons91Not stated or inadequately described5704.34.2
Persons93No qualification5,99744.844.8
PersonsTotalTotal13,401100.0100.0

The abbreviation 'nfd' stands for Not Further Described, and relates to the situation where a response on the Census form could be coded to a broad category but not to a more specific sub-grouping within that category

Field of qualification of the labour force, Bega Valley Shire and Regional NSW 2006 Natural and Physical Sciences, Regional NSW: 1.2% Information Technology, Regional NSW: 1.0% Engineering and Related Technologies, Regional NSW: 11.5% Architecture and Building, Regional NSW: 4.3% Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies, Regional NSW: 2.5% Health, Regional NSW: 6.1% Education, Regional NSW: 5.3% Management and Commerce, Regional NSW: 9.4% Society and Culture, Regional NSW: 4.9% Creative Arts, Regional NSW: 1.3% Food, Hospitality and Personal Services, Regional NSW: 3.3% Mixed Field Programmes, Regional NSW: 0.0% Not stated or inadequately described, Regional NSW: 4.2% Natural and Physical Sciences, Bega Valley Shire: 1.0% Information Technology, Bega Valley Shire: 0.5% Engineering and Related Technologies, Bega Valley Shire: 10.4% Architecture and Building, Bega Valley Shire: 5.1% Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies, Bega Valley Shire: 3.0% Health, Bega Valley Shire: 6.4% Education, Bega Valley Shire: 5.7% Management and Commerce, Bega Valley Shire: 8.1% Society and Culture, Bega Valley Shire: 4.8% Creative Arts, Bega Valley Shire: 1.5% Food, Hospitality and Personal Services, Bega Valley Shire: 4.4% Mixed Field Programmes, Bega Valley Shire: 0.0% Not stated or inadequately described, Bega Valley Shire: 4.3%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2006.

Please refer to the specific data notes for more information.