RDA Darling Downs and South West Region

Jobs to workers ratio

The jobs to residents ratio for the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region in 2021/22 was 1.05, meaning that there were more jobs than resident workers. Mining had the highest ratio (1.33), while the lowest ratio was found in Wholesale Trade (0.96).

A goal of economic development is often to maximise the employment opportunities locally, leading to a more socially and environmentally sustainable community.

Employment capacity is a simple way of looking at whether the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region could theoretically provide jobs for all its residents if they were to choose to work locally.

Employment capacity is simply the number of local jobs in an industry, divided by the number of local residents employed (anywhere) in that industry. A figure over 1.0 means there are more jobs available than residents employed in that industry. Under 1.0 means there are more residents employed than jobs available in that sector.

This is a theoretical exercise as, even if there are enough jobs provided locally, there will always be some people who choose to commute out of the area.

Employment capacity data should be viewed in conjunction with Employment self-containment and Residents place of work data, which provides detail about the actual proportion of residents working locally, and Gross Regional Product and Worker productivity data which shows the economic contribution of residents and workers.

Data source

National Economics (NIEIR) - Modelled series

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Employment capacity by industry
RDA Darling Downs and South West Region2021/222016/17
IndustryLocal jobsEmployed residentsRatio of jobs to residentsLocal jobsEmployed residentsRatio of jobs to residents
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing13,38613,3471.0013,51913,4391.01
Mining4,4513,3411.334,9533,3971.46
Manufacturing11,45511,6870.989,0889,1910.99
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services2,9312,2001.332,5092,0111.25
Construction12,03311,4201.0511,0439,7241.14
Wholesale Trade4,3714,5360.963,6783,6311.01
Retail Trade13,97613,7341.0212,16111,7671.03
Accommodation and Food Services7,9457,1681.117,7557,5911.02
Transport, Postal and Warehousing5,9395,4271.096,7796,6971.01
Information Media and Telecommunications7877901.001,2651,2351.02
Financial and Insurance Services2,7512,4011.152,5072,3861.05
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services1,6481,5751.051,9691,9051.03
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services5,6965,2491.096,2616,1531.02
Administrative and Support Services3,9753,8881.022,9922,9031.03
Public Administration and Safety8,0707,7331.048,4318,4860.99
Education and Training13,57312,9521.0513,03712,8031.02
Health Care and Social Assistance23,32422,3371.0417,99917,1771.05
Arts and Recreation Services1,3111,3420.981,5481,5640.99
Other Services6,5236,2581.046,0555,9291.02
Total industries144,144137,3871.05133,548127,9891.04

Source: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) ©2023. Compiled and presented in economy.id by .id (informed decisions). NIEIR-ID data are adjusted each year, using updated employment estimates. Each release may change previous years’ figures.Learn more.

Please refer to specific data notes for more information
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RDA Darling Downs and South West Region

economic profile