4.6% ▲ +29.4%
Higher than 56% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 3.6%
- 2016: 6.3%
- 2021: 4.6%
Unemployed people as a share of the labour force (aged 15+).
Western Downs · Council (LGA)
Jobs & Industry in Western Downs
Work across the area — who is in the labour force, in which industries and jobs.
Full-time work is far more common in Western Downs than in most other areas, with 64.5% of the workforce in full-time roles. This strong employment pattern defines the local economy, though the overall number of adults working or looking for work has dipped slightly since 2011.
Labour force
Employment, participation and unemployment.
About 59.6% of adults are working or looking for work, which is a little below the national figure of 61.1%. The unemployment rate sits at 4.6%, which is about the same as the figures for Queensland and Australia.
59.6% ▼ -4.4%
Higher than 59% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 62.3%
- 2016: 59.1%
- 2021: 59.6%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in the labour force.
64.5% ▼ -4.7%
Higher than 75% of council (lga) areas.
- 2011: 67.7%
- 2016: 65.7%
- 2021: 64.5%
Share of employed people who worked full-time.
Industries
The industries that employ local workers.
Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the dominant industry here, employing 18.4% of the workforce. Other major employers include retail trade at 9.5% and health care and social assistance at 8.9%.
Occupations
The kinds of jobs people do.
Nearly one in five workers are managers, making up 19.2% of the local workforce. Technicians and trades people follow at 15.4%, with labourers accounting for 14.9% of jobs.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Western Downs
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Jobs & Industry in Western Downs [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA37310/western-downs/topic/employment