5.3% ▼ -2.8%
Higher than 67% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 5.5%
- 2016: 8.8%
- 2021: 5.3%
Unemployed people as a share of the labour force (aged 15+).
Melbourne · Urban Area
Jobs & Industry in Melbourne
Work across the area — who is in the labour force, in which industries and jobs.
A well above average 64.1% of adults in Melbourne are working or looking for work, which is 3.1 percentage points higher than the national figure. While full-time employment has fallen since 2011, the area maintains a workforce that is more active than most other parts of the country.
Labour force
Employment, participation and unemployment.
Full-time work is common here, with 60.2% of the workforce employed full-time, slightly above the Victorian figure of 59.2%. The unemployment rate is 5.3%, which is about the same as the state and national figures and has barely changed since 2011.
64.1% ▲ +2.6%
Higher than 85% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 62.5%
- 2016: 59.5%
- 2021: 64.1%
Share of people aged 15+ who are in the labour force.
60.2% ▼ -5.5%
Higher than 70% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 63.7%
- 2016: 64.2%
- 2021: 60.2%
Share of employed people who worked full-time.
Industries
The industries that employ local workers.
Health care and social assistance is the most common industry for residents, employing 13.5% of the workforce. Professional and technical services follow at 9.7%, with retail trade at 9.4%.
Occupations
The kinds of jobs people do.
Professionals make up the largest group of workers at 27.0%, followed by managers at 13.8%. Other common roles include clerical and administrative staff at 12.9% and technicians and trades at 12.0%.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Melbourne
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Jobs & Industry in Melbourne [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sua/2011/melbourne/topic/employment