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.

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:
Statistical Local Areas in the South West Group's labour force region:
  • Armadale (C)
  • Belmont (C)
  • Cambridge (T)
  • Canning (C)
  • Claremont (T)
  • Cockburn (C)
  • Cottesloe (T)
  • East Fremantle (T)
  • Fremantle (C) - Inner
  • Fremantle (C) - Remainder
  • Gosnells (C)
  • Kwinana (T)
  • Mandurah (C)
  • Melville (C)
  • Mosman Park (T)
  • Murray (S)
  • Nedlands (C)
  • Peppermint Grove (S)
  • Perth (C) - Remainder
  • Rockingham (C)
  • Serpentine-Jarrahdale (S)
  • South Perth (C)
  • Subiaco (C)
  • Victoria Park (T)
  • Vincent (T)

Field of qualification of the regional labour force Place of usual residence

The "regional" labour force includes all persons that were usually resident in the region on Census night regardless of where they worked and who were either employed or looking for work.

Field of qualification by gender of the South West Group Labour Region2006
Gender Field of studynumber%City of Melville %
Persons01Natural and Physical Sciences10,5212.63.3
Persons02Information Technology7,1881.82.0
Persons03Engineering and Related Technologies50,94412.612.0
Persons04Architecture and Building13,2873.32.9
Persons05Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies4,8211.21.1
Persons06Health24,5466.17.5
Persons07Education19,1484.76.7
Persons08Management and Commerce44,88611.114.3
Persons09Society and Culture25,4826.36.3
Persons10Creative Arts8,0562.02.0
Persons11Food, Hospitality and Personal Services12,0263.02.6
Persons12Mixed Field Programmes2900.10.1
Persons91Not stated or inadequately described15,7733.93.3
Persons93No qualification168,25341.535.9
PersonsTotalTotal405,221100.0100.0

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 South West Group Labour Region and City of Melville 2006 Natural and Physical Sciences, City of Melville: 3.3% Information Technology, City of Melville: 2.0% Engineering and Related Technologies, City of Melville: 12.0% Architecture and Building, City of Melville: 2.9% Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies, City of Melville: 1.1% Health, City of Melville: 7.5% Education, City of Melville: 6.7% Management and Commerce, City of Melville: 14.3% Society and Culture, City of Melville: 6.3% Creative Arts, City of Melville: 2.0% Food, Hospitality and Personal Services, City of Melville: 2.6% Mixed Field Programmes, City of Melville: 0.1% Not stated or inadequately described, City of Melville: 3.3% Natural and Physical Sciences, South West Group Labour Region: 2.6% Information Technology, South West Group Labour Region: 1.8% Engineering and Related Technologies, South West Group Labour Region: 12.6% Architecture and Building, South West Group Labour Region: 3.3% Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies, South West Group Labour Region: 1.2% Health, South West Group Labour Region: 6.1% Education, South West Group Labour Region: 4.7% Management and Commerce, South West Group Labour Region: 11.1% Society and Culture, South West Group Labour Region: 6.3% Creative Arts, South West Group Labour Region: 2.0% Food, Hospitality and Personal Services, South West Group Labour Region: 3.0% Mixed Field Programmes, South West Group Labour Region: 0.1% Not stated or inadequately described, South West Group Labour Region: 3.9%

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

Please refer to the specific data notes for more information.