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South West Group

The labour force

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

What are the local labour force characteristics?
What potential skills and knowledge can be drawn from the regional labour force?

The 'labour force' data represents key characteristics of people who are either employed or who are looking for work (unemployed).

Local labour force

The local labour force includes all people in the labour force who are resident in the local area regardless of where they work. The local labour force is an important resource for the local economy, however it does not represent the total potential skill resource available to the local economy. This is because there are typically a significant number of people who are employed in the local economy who reside outside of the local area.

Regional labour force

The regional labour force represents the pool of potential labour force skills available to the local area from the region. It is defined on the basis of surrounding areas for which the local area is a significant destination for its workers. More specifically, it includes any Statistical Local Area (sub-LGA areas) in which 4% or more of employed resident persons travel to the local area for work. The regional labour force data represents all people in the labour force resident in the region, regardless of where they work. It shows what potential there is to draw on other skills, knowledge and experience available within the region.

More information on the 'Regional labour force' geography and its constituent Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) please see the Populations and geographies section.

Key statistics

The key statistics table draws together a number of key indicators for the local labour force benchmarked to the region. It provides an overview of how the characteristics of the local labour force compare to those of the broader region. Access the detailed tables for further exploration of each characteristic.

The labour force is defined as all persons 15 years and over who are either employed or unemployed (and looking for work), and excludes those who are outside the labour force (not employed and not looking for work – e.g. retirees, students, homemakers).

Data options:

Select a benchmark area:

Key statistics of the local labour force Place of usual residence

The "local" (or resident) labour force includes all persons that were usually resident in the South West Group on Census night regardless of where they worked and who were either employed or looking for work.

Key statistics of the local labour force, South West Group 2006	2006
	number	%	Perth SD %
Persons
Persons	149,069	100.0	100.0
Gender
Males	81,035	54.4	54.1
Females	68,034	45.6	45.9
Age structure
15-24 years	28,662	19.2	19.4
25-54 years	99,471	66.7	66.0
55-64 years	18,157	12.2	12.7
65 years and over	2,779	1.9	2.0
Median age		37.3 years	41.1 years
Top 3 Industries
Manufacturing	16,995	11.4	9.5
Retail Trade	16,175	10.9	10.9
Health Care and Social Assistance	15,088	10.1	10.3
Method of travel to work
Car driver & /or passenger	99,973	67.1	65.7
Public Transport	9,706	6.5	8.3
Employment status (hours worked)
Full time	89,362	59.9	61.0
Part time	50,078	33.6	32.7
Unemployed	5,709	3.8	3.6
Qualifications
Bachelor or Higher degree	36,802	15.1	21.8
Advanced Diploma or Diploma	19,035	7.8	9.5
Certificate level	43,825	17.9	21.0
No qualification	111,775	45.7	42.2
Income
Nill to $399	34,541	23.2	22.8
$400 to $1299	82,443	55.3	57.0
$1300 or more	32,077	21.5	20.2

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

Please refer to the specific data notes for more information.

DISCLAIMER: Whilst all due care has been taken to ensure the content of this website is accurate and current, there may be errors or omissions in it and no legal responsibility is accepted for the information and opinions in this report. In addition, as the website is based on historic information which is subject to revision, we do not guarantee its currency.

Copyright in ABS data vests in the Commonwealth of Australia. Distribution of this data is not permitted without the written consent of the Australian Statistician. Please contact intermediary.management@abs.gov.au if you have any queries or wish to distribute any ABS data.

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