In the City of Adelaide, 34.7% of workers were Professionals, compared to 20.2% in South Australia.
Occupation is a key component for evaluating the socio-economic status of the local workers and the skills required to work in each industry sector.
The occupations of the local workers in the City of Adelaide will be influenced by factors including:
- The economic base and employment opportunities available in the City of Adelaide;
- The age of the workforce;
- The skill and qualification level required to enter an industry; and
- The working and social aspirations of the population.
For a complete local workers analysis for the City of Adelaide, view Occupations in conjunction with other indicators, such as Educational qualifications and Income.
Data source
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Census 2011 (experimental imputed) & 2016 – by place of work
Local workers occupations | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
City of Adelaide - All industries | 2016 | 2011 | Change | ||||||
Occupations (Click rows to view sub-categories) | Number | % | South Australia | Number | % | South Australia | 2011 - 2016 | ||
Managers | 14,570 | 12.4 | 12.6 | 13,484 | 11.7 | 12.6 | +1,086 | ||
Professionals | 40,806 | 34.7 | 20.2 | 39,436 | 34.2 | 19.6 | +1,370 | ||
Technicians and Trades Workers | 7,815 | 6.6 | 13.4 | 7,610 | 6.6 | 14.1 | +205 | ||
Community and Personal Service Workers | 11,782 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 10,468 | 9.1 | 10.5 | +1,314 | ||
Clerical and Administrative Workers | 27,032 | 23.0 | 13.4 | 29,067 | 25.2 | 14.4 | -2,035 | ||
Sales Workers | 7,296 | 6.2 | 9.6 | 7,673 | 6.7 | 9.6 | -377 | ||
Machinery Operators And Drivers | 1,184 | 1.0 | 6.1 | 1,117 | 1.0 | 6.4 | +67 | ||
Labourers | 5,147 | 4.4 | 11.1 | 4,489 | 3.9 | 11.1 | +658 | ||
Inadequately described or not stated | 1,980 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1,960 | 1.7 | 1.6 | +20 | ||
Total Persons | 117,612 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 115,304 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +2,308 | ||
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2011 and 2016. Compiled and presented by .id informed decisions Please refer to specific data notes for more information |


Dominant groups
An analysis of the jobs held by the All industries workforce in the City of Adelaide in 2016 shows the three most popular occupations were:
- Professionals (40,806 local workers or 34.7%)
- Clerical and Administrative Workers (27,032 local workers or 23.0%)
- Managers (14,570 local workers or 12.4%)
In combination these three occupations accounted for 82,408 people in total or 70.1% of the All industries local workers.
In comparison, South Australia employed 20.2% as Professionals; 13.4% as Clerical and Administrative Workers and 12.6% as Managers.
The major differences between the jobs held by the workforce in the City of Adelaide and South Australia were:
- A larger percentage of local workers employed as Professionals (34.7% compared to 20.2%)
- A larger percentage of local workers employed as Clerical and Administrative Workers (23.0% compared to 13.4%)
- A smaller percentage of local workers employed as Technicians and Trades Workers (6.6% compared to 13.4%)
- A smaller percentage of local workers employed as Labourers (4.4% compared to 11.1%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the jobs held by the workforce in the City of Adelaide between 2011 and 2016 were those employed as:
- Clerical and Administrative Workers (-2,035 local workers)
- Professionals (+1,370 local workers)
- Community and Personal Service Workers (+1,314 local workers)
- Managers (+1,086 local workers)