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South West Group

The residents

The residents section is presented in two sections to answer the following questions:

  • What are the characteristics of the local residents?
  • Where do the residents work?

The people who live in an area are one of the most important resources that an economy draws upon, both as a market that consumes goods and services and as a source of labour.

This data is from the Usual Resident dataset of the Census. It includes all the people who reside in the local area, including those people who are not in the labour force (such as the elderly, children, unpaid domestic workers and carers etc.). Presenting the characteristics of the total local residents in economy.id® provides the context for understanding:

  • the characteristics of the local labour force (which is a subset of the total population);
  • the relationship between the residential role and function of the local area and its economic role and function;
  • the local market for goods and services.

More detailed information about the resident population, including suburb/locality profiles, can be found in South West Group community profile at www.id.com.au/profile/southwestgroup.

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:
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Field of qualification of the residents Place of usual residence

Field of qualification of residents by gender, South West Group(Population aged 15 years and over)2006
Gender Field of studynumber%City of Melville %
Persons01Natural and Physical Sciences4,2121.72.7
Persons02Information Technology2,6191.11.4
Persons03Engineering and Related Technologies26,05910.79.6
Persons04Architecture and Building6,5072.72.4
Persons05Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies2,2630.90.9
Persons06Health11,1594.66.3
Persons07Education9,7744.05.7
Persons08Management and Commerce19,7718.111.4
Persons09Society and Culture11,2314.65.2
Persons10Creative Arts3,6051.51.7
Persons11Food, Hospitality and Personal Services6,5422.72.2
Persons12Mixed Field Programmes1860.10.1
Persons91Not stated or inadequately described28,79711.89.8
Persons93No qualification111,78645.740.8
PersonsTotalTotal244,511100.0100.0

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 residents, South West Group 2006 Natural and Physical Sciences, City of Melville: 2.7% Information Technology, City of Melville: 1.4% Engineering and Related Technologies, City of Melville: 9.6% Architecture and Building, City of Melville: 2.4% Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies, City of Melville: 0.9% Health, City of Melville: 6.3% Education, City of Melville: 5.7% Management and Commerce, City of Melville: 11.4% Society and Culture, City of Melville: 5.2% Creative Arts, City of Melville: 1.7% Food, Hospitality and Personal Services, City of Melville: 2.2% Mixed Field Programmes, City of Melville: 0.1% Not stated or inadequately described, City of Melville: 9.8% Natural and Physical Sciences, South West Group: 1.7% Information Technology, South West Group: 1.1% Engineering and Related Technologies, South West Group: 10.7% Architecture and Building, South West Group: 2.7% Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies, South West Group: 0.9% Health, South West Group: 4.6% Education, South West Group: 4.0% Management and Commerce, South West Group: 8.1% Society and Culture, South West Group: 4.6% Creative Arts, South West Group: 1.5% Food, Hospitality and Personal Services, South West Group: 2.7% Mixed Field Programmes, South West Group: 0.1% Not stated or inadequately described, South West Group: 11.8%

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

Please refer to the specific data notes for more information.