South East Queensland

Employment self-sufficiency

In 2021, 98.2% of the South East Queensland’s local workers were residents.

Self-sufficiency measures the proportion of local workers in the local area who also live in the Local Government Area or region. It indicates the level at which the resident workers meet the labour requirements of the local industries or businesses.

Self-sufficiency is likely to be higher for regional areas, lower in metropolitan areas and is influenced by:

  • The nature of employment opportunities versus the skills and qualifications of residents;
  • Transport options available and commuting times;
  • Relationship between wages and salaries and house prices in the area; and
  • The geographic size of the area.

Employment self-sufficiency data should be viewed in conjunction with detailed Workers place of residence data to see how far workers are travelling to access employment in the area, as well as Worker productivity and Local workers income and Local workers hours worked data to look at the value of local workers contributions. The Resident workers section will provide the characteristics of resident workers.

Data source

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Census 2016 & 2021 – by place of work

  • Industry
  • Occupations
Employment self-sufficiency by Industry
South East Queensland20212016Change
IndustryTotal local workersLocal workers living in the region% of local workers living in the regionTotal local workersLocal workers living in the region% of local workers living in the region2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing19,80419,17996.819,12618,41896.3+0.6%
Mining12,75411,92893.511,97211,10092.7+0.8%
Manufacturing104,021102,46098.594,78993,46498.6-0.1%
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services18,51818,23698.514,68914,45798.4+0.1%
Construction136,820134,00197.9113,468110,88597.7+0.2%
Wholesale Trade42,49241,80998.442,10641,49098.5-0.1%
Retail Trade165,938164,16598.9152,990151,04298.7+0.2%
Accommodation and Food Services126,658125,36399.0112,430110,70698.5+0.5%
Transport, Postal and Warehousing80,30078,69798.074,65072,89297.6+0.4%
Information Media and Telecommunications18,81118,39797.820,29919,96698.4-0.6%
Financial and Insurance Services53,56552,68898.446,60346,21699.2-0.8%
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services33,75733,34598.833,46833,10398.9-0.1%
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services135,978133,20198.0109,106107,83698.8-0.9%
Administrative and Support Services52,96452,04098.348,79748,08098.5-0.3%
Public Administration and Safety103,973102,58198.795,96294,49998.5+0.2%
Education and Training159,222157,24898.8139,691137,83898.7+0.1%
Health Care and Social Assistance273,557269,79498.6202,639199,59998.5+0.1%
Arts and Recreation Services30,24129,70498.226,55926,14198.4-0.2%
Other Services66,88466,20099.057,09856,46098.9+0.1%
Industry not classified77,13275,81498.364,02262,88698.2+0.1%
Total Industries1,717,4381,687,13898.21,484,0951,457,42498.2+0.0%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021 Compiled and presented in economy.id by .id (informed decisions).

Please refer to specific data notes for more information
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South East Queensland

economic profile