LABOUR FORCE

Paid work is the way most people obtain the economic resources needed for day to day living, for themselves and their dependants, and to meet their longer term financial needs. Having paid work contributes to a person’s sense of identity and self-esteem. People's involvement in paid work also contributes to economic growth and development.

In 2006, there were about 921,000 people aged 15 years and over employed in the MDB (as reported in the Census). This represented more than half (58%) of the Basin's population aged 15 years and over, giving an employment to population ratio similar to the national level of 57% (table 2.19).

Of the Basin states, the Australian Capital Territory had the highest employment to population ratio (67%) followed by Queensland (59%). The employment to population ratio in the other Basin states was about 56%.

The number of unemployed people in the MDB decreased from 77,500 in 1996 to 49,900 in 2006, a decrease of 37%. Over this period, the unemployment rate in the MDB dropped from 8.7% to 5.0%, to be similar to the national figure of 5.2% in 2006.

2.19 Labour force status(a) - 2006
	Murray-Darling Basin						Australia
	NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	ACT	Total MDB(b)
Employed (no.)	342 090	254 180	99 480	49 580	175 980	921 300	9 089 140
Unemployed (no.)	20 990	14 580	4 650	2 580	6 150	48 950	500 570
Not in the labour force (no.)	211 020	163 930	55 370	32 520	66 890	529 720	6 290 220
Total labour force(b)(c) (no.)	606 700	457 030	168 800	89 350	261 510	1 583 390	15 879 920
Employment to population ratio (no.)	56.4	55.6	58.9	55.5	67.3	58.2	57.2
Participation rate (%)	59.8	58.8	61.7	58.4	69.6	61.3	60.4
Unemployment rate (%)	5.8	5.4	4.5	4.9	3.4	5.0	5.2
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over.
(b) Components may not add to total due to rounding.
(c) Includes labour force status not stated.
Source: ABS data available on request, ABS Census of Population and Housing 2006

The unemployment rate varied across the Basin's remoteness areas. In the Basin's major cities the unemployment rate was 3.3%; in regional areas (inner and outer) it was 5.5%; in remote areas 5.4%; and 4.9% in very remote areas (graph 2.20).

Employed Persons

Australia's workforce is constantly changing in response to changing economic conditions and this is also reflected in the MDB. The past decade has seen an increasing diversity of employment arrangements, including changes in full-time and part-time employment.

In 2006, nearly two-thirds (64%) of people employed in the MDB worked full-time, close to one-third (29%) were part-time, and 7% were employed, but worked no hours in the week prior to Census night (away from work). Males in full-time employment outnumbered females (2:1), however, females in part-time employment outnumbered males (2:1) (table 2.21).

2.21 Employment status(a), by sex - 2006
		Murray-Darling Basin		Australia
		Number employed	Proportion of total employed	Number employed	Proportion of total employed
		no.	%	no.	%
Full-time
	Male	386 290	65.4	3 755 390	64.5
	Female	204 600	34.6	2 062 720	35.5
	Ratio male to female	1.9	. .	1.8	. .
Part-time
	Male	78 860	29.3	837 270	31.2
	Female	190 120	70.7	1 844 340	68.8
	Ratio male to female	0.4	. .	0.5	. .
Away from work(b)
	Male	31 650	51.5	309 470	52.4
	Female	29 770	48.5	280 570	47.6
	Ratio male to female	1.1	. .	1.1	. .
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over.
(b) On Census night.
Source: ABS data available on request, ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2006
Note: . . not applicable

Table 2.22 shows the change in part-time and full-time employment in the MDB between 1996 and 2006. During this period, part-time employment increased at a greater rate than full-time employment (12% and 7%, respectively) even though the total number of people employed part-time decreased between 2001 and 2006. A similar pattern occurred nationally, where part-time employment increased by 17% and full-time employment by 12%. The increase in demand for part-time employment is often associated with the restructuring of Australia's economy, and in particular with the growth in service industries, the deregulation of the workplace and the introduction of new technologies (ABS 2001).

2.22 Employment status(a) - Murray-Darling Basin - 1996-2006
		Number employed			Change
		1996	2001	2006	1996-2001	2001-2006	1996-2006
		no.	no.	no.	%	%	%
Employed
	Full-time	550 760	552 580	590 890	0.3	6.9	7.3
	Part-time	239 470	272 900	268 980	14.0	-1.4	12.3
Ratio full-time to part-time		2.3	2.0	2.2	. .	. .	. .
Total employed persons(b)		810 760	850 900	921 300	5.0	8.3	13.6
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over.
(b) Includes employment status not stated.
Source: ABS data on request, ABS Census on Population and Housing, 1996, 2001 and 2006

Employment by industry

In 2006, close to one million people (921,000 as reported in the Census) were employed across all industries in the MDB. Table 2.23 shows employment in significant industries in the MDB. Retail employed the greatest number of people (14%), followed by Health and community services (11%), Government administration and defence (10%), Agriculture (10%) and Manufacturing (9%). Employment in Agriculture in the MDB (10%) was significantly higher than the national figure of 3%. Employment in other industries was broadly in line with the trend at the national level. The employment distribution across industries in the MDB was similar in 1996 to 2006, with the exception of Agriculture and Health and community services (graph 2.24).

2.23 Employment(a), by selected industry - 2006
	Murray-Darling Basin		Australia
	Number employed	Proportion of total employed	Number employed	Proportion of total employed
	no.	%	no.	%
Agriculture	90 520	9.8	245 730	2.7
Services to agriculture	5 690	0.6	18 180	0.2
Manufacturing	83 760	9.1	997 150	11.0
Electricity, gas and water supply	8 470	0.9	70 930	0.8
Retail	128 740	14.0	1 299 210	14.3
Government administration and defence	94 710	10.3	429 870	4.7
Education	71 550	7.8	677 550	7.5
Health and community services	97 270	10.6	975 290	10.7
Other industries(b)	340 590	37.0	4 375 840	48.1
Total employed persons(c)	921 300	100.0	9 089 750	100.0
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over.
(b) Comprises: Mining, Construction, Wholesale, Accommodation and food services, Transport, postal and warehousing, Information, media and telecommunications, Financial and insurance services, Rental, hiring and real estate
(c) Components may not add to total due to rounding.
Source: ABS data available on request, ABS Census of Population and Housing 2006

Employment in Agriculture

Agriculture is an important part of the Australian economy and in 2006 remained important in rural and regional areas such as the MDB. It is the third largest employer in the MDB, providing one in ten jobs (90,500 as reported in the 2006 Census). The MDB accounted for more than one-third (37%) of all agricultural workers in Australia ( table 2.25).

Grain, sheep and beef cattle farming are the biggest agricultural employers in the MDB. In 2006, they accounted for nearly two-thirds (64%) of all people employed in Agriculture in the MDB. Horticulture and fruit growing employed 17% of the agricultural workers in the MDB while Dairy cattle farming employed 8%.

2.25 Employment(a), Agriculture industry - Murray-Darling Basin - 2006
		Employed persons	Proportion of total Agriculture	MDB as a proportion total Australian Agriculture
		no.	%	%
Horticulture and fruit growing
	Plant, flower, seed growing	1 000	1.1	11.3
	Vegetable growing	2 220	2.5	15.3
	Grape growing	5 540	6.1	50.6
	Apple and pear growing	970	1.1	45.5
	Stone fruit growing	670	0.7	54.9
	Other fruit growing	3 020	3.3	24.7
	Total(b)	15 250	16.8	27.7
Grain, sheep and beef cattle farming
	Grain growing	10 680	11.8	59.0
	Grain-sheep and grain-beef cattle farming	16 160	17.8	51.1
	Sheep-beef cattle farming	6 170	6.8	46.8
	Sheep farming	9 710	10.7	47.2
	Beef cattle farming	14 660	16.2	30.2
	Total(b)	57 780	63.8	43.5
Dairy cattle farming		6 920	7.6	31.5
Poultry farming		1 440	1.6	23.7
Other livestock farming		3 690	4.1	41.5
Other crop growing
	Cotton growing	1 700	1.9	87.6
	Other crop growing	1 110	1.2	10.4
	Total	2 810	3.1	22.2
Total Agriculture(b)		90 520	100.0	36.8
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over.
(b) Includes industries not further defined.
Source: ABS data available on request, ABS Census of population and Housing, 2006

New South Wales had close to half (48%) of the MDB's agricultural workforce with about one-third (30%) in Victoria. About 14% of the workforce were in Queensland and 8% in South Australia.

Across the MDB, the dominant agricultural industry employing people was Grain, sheep and beef cattle farming. New South Wales accounted for 58% of all Grain, sheep and beef cattle farming employment in the MDB (table 2.26). The majority of the Basin's Dairy farming employment was in Victoria (73%). Horticulture and fruit growing were also dominant in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia (40%, 26% and 24% respectively). Water use and production by agricultural industries are discussed further in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4.

2.26 Employment(a), Agriculture industry, by Basin state - Murray-Darling Basin - 2006
		NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	ACT	Total MDB
Horticulture and fruit growing
	Number employed (no.)	3 910	6 210	1 340	3 700	90	15 250
	Proportion of total Agriculture (%)	9.1	22.6	11.0	49.7	22.2	16.8
	Proportion of total MDB (%)	25.6	40.7	8.8	24.3	0.6	100.0
Grain, sheep and beef cattle farming
	Number employed (no.)	33 510	13 220	8 220	2 640	180	57 770
	Proportion of total Agriculture (%)	77.7	48.3	67.3	35.4	50.0	63.8
	Proportion of total MDB (%)	58.0	22.9	14.2	4.6	0.3	100.0
Dairy cattle farming
	Number employed (no.)	870	5 040	500	510	-	6 920
	Proportion of total Agriculture (%)	2.0	18.4	4.1	6.8	-	7.6
	Proportion of total MDB (%)	12.6	72.8	7.2	7.4	-	100.0
Poultry farming
	Number employed (no.)	550	450	300	110	30	1 440
	Proportion of total Agriculture (%)	1.3	1.6	2.5	1.5	8.3	1.6
	Proportion of total MDB (%)	38.2	31.3	20.8	7.6	2.1	100.0
Other livestock farming
	Number employed (no.)	1 450	1 220	690	310	20	3 690
	Proportion of total Agriculture (%)	3.4	4.5	5.6	4.2	5.6	4.1
	Proportion of total MDB (%)	39.3	33.1	18.7	8.4	0.5	100.0
Other crop growing
	Number employed (no.)	1 390	540	820	60	-	2 810
	Proportion of total Agriculture (%)	3.2	2.0	6.7	0.8	-	3.1
	Proportion of total MDB (%)	49.5	19.2	29.2	2.1	-	100.0
Total Agriculture(b) (no.)		43 090	27 380	12 230	7 460	360	90 520
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over.
(b) Includes industries not further defined.
Source: ABS data available on request, ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2006

There is also some diversity of agricultural employment in the MDB across remoteness areas. For example, in 2006 more than half (53%) of the people employed in Agriculture within the MDB were in outer regional areas, and more than one-third (37%) were in inner regional areas.

People employed in Grape growing were mostly located in outer regional areas (75% of all employment in the Grape growing industry within the Basin). Other major agricultural industries where employment mainly occurred in outer regional areas were Grain growing (64%), Grain-sheep and grain-beef cattle farming (64%) and Cotton growing (51%). People employed in Apple and pear growing (62%) were mostly located in the Basin's inner regional areas, together with Dairy cattle farming (68%) and Poultry farming (63%).


Trends in agricultural employment

Between 2001 and 2006, overall employment in Agriculture within the MDB declined by 12%. The workforce decline may be partially attributed to the prolonged drought experienced over most of Australia since 2002 which has severely affected the agricultural sector. The drought has disrupted farmer's cropping programs and reduced breeding stocks and productivity, ultimately affecting the long-term sustainability of agricultural industries, country areas and families (BRS 2008).

Employment change between 2001 and 2006 in some agricultural industries was more marked than others. Cotton growing had the largest decrease in employment (42%), followed by Plant, flower and seed growing (31%) and Grape growing (30%) (table 2.27). The only two industries that showed an increase in agricultural employment within the MDB were Beef cattle farming (16%) and Other livestock farming (10%).

2.27 Change in employment(a), Agriculture industry - Murray-Darling Basin - 2001 and 2006
		Employed persons		Change
		2001	2006
		no.	no.	%
Horticulture and fruit growing
	Plant, flower, seed growing	1 450	1 000	-31.0
	Vegetable growing	2 540	2 220	-12.6
	Grape growing	7 950	5 540	-30.3
	Apple and pear growing	1 180	970	-17.8
	Stone fruit growing	840	670	-20.2
	Other fruit growing	3 370	3 020	-10.4
	Total(b)	19 210	15 250	-20.6
Grain, sheep and beef cattle farming
	Grain growing	10 720	10 680	-0.4
	Grain-sheep and grain-beef cattle farming	20 120	16 150	-19.7
	Sheep-beef cattle farming	8 410	6 170	-26.6
	Sheep farming	10 690	9 710	-9.2
	Beef cattle farming	12 650	14 660	15.9
	Total(b)	63 900	57 770	-9.6
Dairy cattle farming		8 860	6 920	-21.9
Poultry farming		1 690	1 440	-14.8
Other livestock farming		3 360	3 690	9.8
Other crop growing
	Cotton growing	2 950	1 700	-42.4
	Other crop growing	960	1 110	-15.6
	Total	3 930	2 810	-28.5
Total Agriculture(b)(c)		103 360	90 520	-12.4
(a) Persons aged 15 years and over.
(b) Includes industries not further defined.
(c) Components may not add to total due to rounding.
Source: ABS data available on request, ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2006

Occupation

Table 2.28 shows the occupation distribution of employed people in the MDB and Australia in 2006. The most common occupation group was Professionals (17%), followed by Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers (15%). Farmer and farm manager was the occupation of 7% of employed people in the MDB compared with only 2% Australia-wide.

2.28 Employment(a), by occupation - 2006
	Murray-Darling Basin		Australia
	Employed persons	Proportion of total employed	Employed persons	Proportion of total employed
	no.	%	no.	%
Professionals	155 630	16.9	1 745 840	19.2
Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers	138 800	15.1	1 534 860	16.9
Trades persons and related workers	109 890	11.9	1 100 430	12.1
Associate professionals	106 780	11.6	1 089 360	12.0
Labourers and related workers	95 710	10.4	755 970	8.3
Elementary clerical, sales and service workers	81 470	8.8	857 620	9.4
Intermediate production and transport workers	70 690	7.7	734 480	8.1
Farmers and farm managers	66 880	7.3	175 130	1.9
Other managers and administrators	56 090	6.1	642 380	7.1
Advanced clerical and service workers	24 570	2.7	288 590	3.2
Total employed persons(b)	921 300	100.0	9 089 750	100.0
(a) Includes persons aged 15 years and over
(b) Includes occupation inadequately described or not stated
Source: ABS data available on request, ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2006

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