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 Greater Sydney will be influenced by factors including:
- The economic base and employment opportunities available in Greater Sydney;
- 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 Greater Sydney, view Occupations in conjunction with other indicators, such as Educational qualifications and Income.
Data source
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) – Census 2016 & 2021 – by place of work
Current area:
Select industry:
Current benchmark:
Sex:
| Local workers occupations | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Sydney - All industries | 2021 | 2016 | Change | ||||||
| Occupations (Click rows to view sub-categories) | Number | % | New South Wales | Number | % | New South Wales | 2016 - 2021 | ||
| Managers | 357,262 | 15.7 | 14.6 | 299,262 | 14.2 | 13.5 | +58,000 | ||
| Professionals | 690,410 | 30.4 | 25.9 | 575,210 | 27.3 | 23.6 | +115,200 | ||
| Technicians and Trades Workers | 216,775 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 222,816 | 10.6 | 12.7 | -6,041 | ||
| Community and Personal Service Workers | 202,682 | 8.9 | 10.6 | 199,209 | 9.5 | 10.4 | +3,473 | ||
| Clerical and Administrative Workers | 318,754 | 14.0 | 13.0 | 316,454 | 15.0 | 13.8 | +2,300 | ||
| Sales Workers | 175,273 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 190,082 | 9.0 | 9.2 | -14,809 | ||
| Machinery Operators And Drivers | 124,011 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 115,705 | 5.5 | 6.1 | +8,306 | ||
| Labourers | 140,806 | 6.2 | 8.2 | 144,855 | 6.9 | 8.8 | -4,049 | ||
| Inadequately described or not stated | 43,445 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 40,938 | 1.9 | 1.8 | +2,507 | ||
| Total Persons | 2,269,418 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 2,104,531 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +164,887 | ||
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
An analysis of the jobs held by the All industries workforce in Greater Sydney in 2021shows the three most popular occupations were:
- Professionals (690,410 local workers or 30.4%)
- Managers (357,262 local workers or 15.7%)
- Clerical and Administrative Workers (318,754 local workers or 14.0%)
In combination these three occupations accounted for 1,366,426 people in total or 60.2% of the All industries local workers.
In comparison, New South Wales employed 25.9% as Professionals; 14.6% as Managers and 13.0% as Clerical and Administrative Workers.
The major differences between the jobs held by the workforce in Greater Sydney and New South Wales were:
- A larger percentage of local workers employed as Professionals (30.4% compared to 25.9%)
- A smaller percentage of local workers employed as Technicians and Trades Workers (9.6% compared to 11.8%)
- A smaller percentage of local workers employed as Labourers (6.2% compared to 8.2%)
- A smaller percentage of local workers employed as Community and Personal Service Workers (8.9% compared to 10.6%)
Emerging groups
The largest changes in the jobs held by the workforce in Greater Sydney between2016 and 2021 were those employed as:
- Professionals (+115,200 local workers)
- Managers (+58,000 local workers)
- Sales Workers (-14,809 local workers)
- Machinery Operators And Drivers (+8,306 local workers)