Qualification levels help to evaluate the economic opportunities and socio-economic status of local workers in a particular industry.
The level of qualifications in a workforce relate to a number of factors including:
- The age of the workforce;
- The skill and qualification level required to enter an industry;
- The professional or working ambitions of people (to seek education as youth or retraining as adults);
- The opportunities afforded to people to continue studying beyond compulsory schooling.
Educational Qualification statistics should be looked at in conjunction with Field of qualification and Occupations data for a full education analysis for Cairns.
Data source
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Census 2016 & 2021 – by place of work
Current industry:
Current benchmark:
Sex:
| Local workers qualifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns - All industries | 2021 | 2016 | Change | ||||||
| Qualification level | Number | % | Queensland | Number | % | Queensland | 2016 - 2021 | ||
| Bachelor or Higher degree | 19,979 | 26.8 | 29.3 | 15,718 | 23.3 | 25.1 | +4,261 | ||
| Advanced Diploma or Diploma | 9,284 | 12.5 | 11.3 | 8,135 | 12.1 | 10.9 | +1,149 | ||
| Certificate I and II Level | 1,302 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1,031 | 1.5 | 1.3 | +271 | ||
| Certificate III & IV Level | 18,273 | 24.6 | 23.2 | 16,081 | 23.8 | 23.0 | +2,192 | ||
| Certificate Level, nfd | 1,342 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1,448 | 2.1 | 2.0 | -106 | ||
| No qualification | 22,427 | 30.1 | 30.7 | 22,899 | 33.9 | 35.0 | -472 | ||
| Inadequately described or not stated | 1,803 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2,151 | 3.2 | 2.7 | -348 | ||
| Total Persons | 74,410 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 67,463 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +6,947 | ||
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions) Please refer to specific data notes for more information | |||||||||
Dominant groups
Analysis of the qualifications of the in Cairns in 2021 compared to Queensland shows that there was a similar proportion holding formal qualifications (Bachelor or higher degree; Advanced Diploma or Diploma; or Vocational qualifications), and a similar proportion with no formal qualifications.
Overall, 67.4% of the workers who held educational qualifications, and 30.1% had no qualifications, compared with 67.1% and 30.7% respectively for Queensland.
The major differences between the qualifications held by the workforce of Cairns and Queensland were:
- A smaller percentage of local workers with Bachelor or Higher degree (26.8% compared to 29.3%)
- A larger percentage of local workers with Certificate III & IV Level (24.6% compared to 23.2%)
- A larger percentage of local workers with Advanced Diploma or Diploma (12.5% compared to 11.3%)
- A smaller percentage of local workers with No qualification (30.1% compared to 30.7%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the qualifications held by the workforce in Cairns between 2016 and 2021 were:
- Bachelor or Higher degree (+4,261 local workers)
- Certificate III & IV Level (+2,192 local workers)
- Advanced Diploma or Diploma (+1,149 local workers)
- No qualification (-472 local workers)