5.1% ▼ -17.3%
Higher than 58% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 6.2%
- 2016: 6.4%
- 2021: 5.1%
Unemployed people as a share of the labour force (aged 15+).
Sydney · Urban Area
Jobs & Industry in Sydney
Work across the area — who is in the labour force, in which industries and jobs.
More adults are working or looking for work in Sydney than in most similar areas. The city's job market is led by a strong professional sector, though the proportion of full-time roles has dropped since 2011.
Labour force
Employment, participation and unemployment.
Around 60.3% of adults are working or looking for work, which is a little above the New South Wales figure. While unemployment has fallen to 5.1% since 2011, full-time employment has also dropped by 5.1 percentage points over that decade.
60.3% ▲ +2.2%
Higher than 64% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 59.0%
- 2016: 58.0%
- 2021: 60.3%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in the labour force.
58.9% ▼ -7.9%
Higher than 61% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 64.0%
- 2016: 63.7%
- 2021: 58.9%
Share of employed people who worked full-time.
Industries
The industries that employ local workers.
Health care and social assistance is the largest employer at 13.1%, followed by professional and technical services at 11.3%. Retail trade, education, and construction also make up significant shares of the workforce.
Occupations
The kinds of jobs people do.
Professionals make up nearly a third of the workforce at 30.0%. Managers account for 15.4%, while clerical and administrative roles represent 13.8% of jobs.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Sydney
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Jobs & Industry in Sydney [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sua/1031/sydney/topic/employment