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 Gunnedah Shire will be influenced by factors including:
- The economic base and employment opportunities available in Gunnedah Shire;
- 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 Gunnedah Shire, 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 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gunnedah Shire - All industries | 2016 | 2011 | Change | ||||||
Occupations (Click rows to view sub-categories) | Number | % | New South Wales | Number | % | New South Wales | 2011 - 2016 | ||
Managers | 899 | 18.5 | 13.5 | 986 | 20.4 | 13.3 | -87 | ||
Professionals | 656 | 13.5 | 23.6 | 633 | 13.1 | 22.7 | +23 | ||
Technicians and Trades Workers | 607 | 12.5 | 12.7 | 576 | 11.9 | 13.2 | +31 | ||
Community and Personal Service Workers | 491 | 10.1 | 10.4 | 456 | 9.4 | 9.5 | +35 | ||
Clerical and Administrative Workers | 530 | 10.9 | 13.8 | 542 | 11.2 | 15.0 | -12 | ||
Sales Workers | 438 | 9.0 | 9.2 | 460 | 9.5 | 9.3 | -22 | ||
Machinery Operators And Drivers | 511 | 10.5 | 6.1 | 475 | 9.8 | 6.4 | +36 | ||
Labourers | 643 | 13.2 | 8.8 | 638 | 13.2 | 8.7 | +5 | ||
Inadequately described or not stated | 88 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 79 | 1.6 | 1.8 | +9 | ||
Total Persons | 4,863 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 4,845 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +18 | ||
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 Gunnedah Shire in 2016 shows the three most popular occupations were:
- Managers (899 local workers or 18.5%)
- Professionals (656 local workers or 13.5%)
- Labourers (643 local workers or 13.2%)
In combination these three occupations accounted for 2,198 people in total or 45.2% of the All industries local workers.
In comparison, New South Wales employed 13.5% as Managers; 23.6% as Professionals and 8.8% as Labourers.
The major differences between the jobs held by the workforce in Gunnedah Shire and New South Wales were:
- A smaller percentage of local workers employed as Professionals (13.5% compared to 23.6%)
- A larger percentage of local workers employed as Managers (18.5% compared to 13.5%)
- A larger percentage of local workers employed as Labourers (13.2% compared to 8.8%)
- A larger percentage of local workers employed as Machinery Operators And Drivers (10.5% compared to 6.1%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the jobs held by the workforce in Gunnedah Shire between 2011 and 2016 were those employed as:
- Managers (-87 local workers)
- Machinery Operators And Drivers (+36 local workers)
- Community and Personal Service Workers (+35 local workers)
- Technicians and Trades Workers (+31 local workers)