Greater Sydney

Employment self-containment

In 2021, 94.9% of Greater Sydney’s resident workers were employed locally.

Self-containment measures the proportion of resident workers who are employed within the boundaries of the Local Government Area or region. It indicates the propensity of residents to seek employment outside the Local Government Area or region in which they live.

Self containment is likely to be higher for regional areas and, 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-containment data should be viewed in conjunction with detailed Residents place of workdata to see where resident workers are accessing employment, along with Jobs to workers ratio data which provides the theoretical number of jobs which could be provided to residents of Greater Sydney in the local area, and is updated annually. 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-containment by Industry
Greater Sydney20212016Change
IndustryTotal resident workersResident workers employed in the region% of resident workers employed in the regionTotal resident workersResident workers employed in the region% of resident workers employed in the region2016 - 2021
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing8,8187,88389.48,2007,43790.7-1.3%
Mining3,6223,09685.53,5202,94283.6+1.9%
Manufacturing121,857118,86597.5119,907116,64797.3+0.3%
Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services18,12417,38895.915,67114,98295.6+0.3%
Construction180,228151,23083.9166,654132,40479.4+4.5%
Wholesale Trade75,22673,31997.576,24774,53197.7-0.3%
Retail Trade197,714193,22997.7191,316185,89197.2+0.6%
Accommodation and Food Services122,084119,61098.0136,224132,85597.5+0.5%
Transport, Postal and Warehousing116,846109,81194.0105,96895,94990.5+3.4%
Information Media and Telecommunications55,54853,36096.159,40057,76997.3-1.2%
Financial and Insurance Services163,977160,62698.0136,729135,34799.0-1.0%
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services44,34243,19397.440,62839,68197.7-0.3%
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services255,477245,76196.2211,267206,14197.6-1.4%
Administrative and Support Services72,19364,46589.373,79964,72187.7+1.6%
Public Administration and Safety123,110118,52696.3112,825108,18895.9+0.4%
Education and Training193,567187,76597.0168,594162,37196.3+0.7%
Health Care and Social Assistance297,913286,13496.0236,008226,92396.2-0.1%
Arts and Recreation Services33,91432,20595.034,76432,83394.4+0.5%
Other Services71,52067,72094.773,09068,78894.1+0.6%
Industry not classified112,606106,89094.9107,119100,85494.2+0.8%
Total Industries2,278,0832,162,96594.92,086,1551,969,37194.4+0.5%

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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Greater Sydney

economic profile