5.7% ▼ -17.7%
Higher than 72% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 7.0%
- 2016: 7.8%
- 2021: 5.7%
Unemployed people as a share of the labour force (aged 15+).
Cairns · Region (SA4)
Jobs & Industry in Cairns
Work across the area — who is in the labour force, in which industries and jobs.
Fewer people have been working or looking for work in Cairns since 2011, with the share of adults in the workforce falling by 3.3 percentage points. While 57.9% of the population are now employed full-time, the local unemployment rate of 5.7% remains higher than most other areas.
Labour force
Employment, participation and unemployment.
The number of people working or looking for work is a little below the national figure at 59.3%. Full-time employment has dropped noticeably since 2011, falling from 63% to 57.9%.
59.3% ▼ -5.3%
Higher than 50% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 62.7%
- 2016: 59.8%
- 2021: 59.3%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in the labour force.
57.9% ▼ -8.1%
Lower than 57% of region (sa4) areas.
- 2011: 63.0%
- 2016: 61.4%
- 2021: 57.9%
Share of employed people who worked full-time.
Industries
The industries that employ local workers.
Health care and social assistance is the biggest employer at 16.2%. This is followed by accommodation and food at 9.6% and retail trade at 9.5%.
Occupations
The kinds of jobs people do.
Professionals make up the largest group of workers at 18.3%. Other common roles include technicians and trades at 14.7% and community and personal service workers at 14.3%.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Cairns
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Jobs & Industry in Cairns [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa4/306/cairns/topic/employment