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Torres Strait Islands · Statistical Area 2 (SA2)

Jobs & Industry in Torres Strait Islands

Work across the area — who is in the labour force, in which industries and jobs.

Public administration and safety is the biggest employer in the Torres Strait Islands, where 34.1% of workers are in this field. However, the region faces significant job challenges, with an unemployment rate of 11.7% that is well above the national figure.

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📍 Torres Strait Islands, Statistical Area 2 (SA2)

Where Torres Strait Islands sits — Unemployment rate

11.7% ▲ +53.7%

All statistical area 2 (sa2) areas, 2021. The marker is Torres Strait Islands — higher than 99% of areas.

Torres Strait Islands11.7%
4875, QLD 7.3%
Queensland 5.4%
Australia 5.1%

Labour force

Employment, participation and unemployment.

Only 41.1% of adults are working or looking for work, a figure far below the Australian average and a drop of 19 points since 2011. While full-time employment rose to 53.6% over the last decade, this remains well below the state and national levels.

Unemployment rate

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11.7% ▲ +53.7%

Higher than 99% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.

Unemployed people as a share of the labour force (aged 15+).

Labour-force participation

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41.1% ▼ -32.1%

Lower than 98% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.

Share of people aged 15+ who are in the labour force.

Employed full-time

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53.6% ▲ +17.9%

Lower than 85% of statistical area 2 (sa2) areas.

Share of employed people who worked full-time.

Industries

The industries that employ local workers.

Government and social services dominate the local economy, with 20.6% of people working in education and training and 11.9% in health care and social assistance. Retail trade accounts for another 8.9% of jobs.

Occupations

The kinds of jobs people do.

Professional roles are the most common occupation at 20.6%, followed by community and personal service workers at 18.0%. Labourers make up 15.0% of the workforce, while managers and clerical staff account for 12.2% and 11.7% respectively.

Occupations people work in

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Torres Strait Islands splits fairly evenly between Professionals (21%) and Community & personal service (19%), with Labourers at 16%.

Professionals 20.6% Community & personal service 18.0% Labourers 15.0% Managers 12.2% Clerical & administrative 11.7% Technicians & trades 8.1% Sales workers 8.1% Machinery operators & drivers 2.8%

Sources

  • Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).

More for Torres Strait Islands

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Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Jobs & Industry in Torres Strait Islands [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa2/315011402/torres-strait-islands/topic/employment