2016 Census: Queensland

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MEDIA RELEASE
23 October 2017
136/2017

Census reveals education as Queensland’s fastest growing industry


The Education and Training sector has the fastest growing labour force of any industry in Queensland, according to latest insights from the 2016 Census of Population and Housing.

The Census recorded that the industry grew almost 19 per cent from 2011 which saw it rise from fifth to third largest overall since the last Census.

Census Program Manager Bindi Kindermann said the latest Census data contained information on a state-wide scale as well as for local communities.

“From how people get to work, to what they are studying, what their jobs are and where people are moving to, this Census information tells us so much about the lives of Queenslanders,” Ms Kindermann said.

“So while the Census recorded Education as the fastest growing of the major industries in Queensland in terms of employees, the largest was still Health Care and Social Assistance – covering areas such as aged care, child care and the health sector. This grew by 14 per cent from 2011 to 2016 and was the largest employing industry in the Census nationwide.”

Census data showed Queensland was the top destination for internal migration across Australia, with 220,000 people moving there from 2011 to 2016. The sunshine state was the most common destination for people leaving New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

In the 12 months leading up to Census night, a total of 144,000 recorded that they had moved to Queensland from interstate and overseas. Of these, 54 per cent moved from interstate, in contrast to states such as New South Wales and Victoria where the majority moved from overseas.

The Census counted that almost 1.5 million Queenslanders used a car to get to work, up almost 8 per cent from 1.37 million in 2011.

The number of people recording that they walked to work fell almost 7 per cent, down from 76,000 in 2011 to just over 70,000 in 2016, mirroring a drop nationally.

The number of people counted in the Census as catching the bus to work also fell, down 5 per cent from 67,000 to 64,000, bucking a nationwide increase. Those catching the train remained approximately the same at slightly more than 42,000.

Professionals was the largest broad occupation category in the state and the country, including areas such as the arts and media, business, design and engineering, science and transport.

Management and Commerce overtook Engineering and Related Technologies to become the most popular field of study.

The third biggest field of study, Society and Culture, was also the fastest growing over the past five years, with the number of people with qualifications in the area rising 33 per cent.

Census data is available free online. Use one of our easy tools such as QuickStats or Community Profiles to access the latest data for your area or topic of interest.

For more information on Queensland in the 2016 Census, follow the link to the Queensland QuickStats page.

Information on Brisbane can be found via the following link to the Brisbane QuickStats page.


Queensland

Labour force
2016
2011

Labour force population
2,312,118
2,171,072

Employed persons1
2,136,453
2,039,272
Full time
1,333,193
1,302,955
Part time
691,751
611,294

Not in labour force (15 years and over)
1,206,040
1,079,304
18-64 year olds
547,129
530,569

1 – Includes “Employed, away from work”
Note: The Census and Labour Force Survey both collect labour market information however are designed for different purposes and utilise different collection methods.
Differences in the collections mean they are not directly comparable to each other, they are complementary data.


Industry
2016
2011

Top 5 industries

(total employed persons)

1.
Health Care and Social Assistance
276,945
Health Care and Social Assistance
242,560
2.
Retail Trade
211,778
Retail Trade
217,612
3.
Education & Training
192,143
Construction
183,778
4.
Construction
191,338
Manufacturing
171,669
5.
Accommodation and Food Services
156,670
Education and Training
160,921

Top 3 industries
(growth rate, 2011 to 2016)
1.
Education & Training 19.4%
2.
Arts & Recreation Services 18.4%
3.
Administrative & Support Services 15.9%



Occupations
2016
2011

Top 3 occupations
(total employed persons)
1.
Professionals
423,917
Professionals
385,580
2.
Technicians and Trades Workers
305,441
Technicians and Trades Workers
304,565
3.
Clerical and Administrative Workers
291,317
Clerical and Administrative Workers
299,327

Top 3 occupations
(growth rate, 2011 to 2016)
1.
Community and Personal Service Workers 19.2%
2.
Professionals 9.9%
3.
Managers 5.3%



Method of Travel to Work
2016
2011

Car (as driver or passenger)
1,481,476
1,373,811

Top 3 other methods
1.
Walked only 70,471
Walked only 75,560
2.
Bus 63,829
Bus 67,192
3.
Train 42,306
Train 42,802

* Single method of travel only


Education
2016
2011

Top 3 fields of study
(total population)
1.
Management & Commerce
392,830
Engineering and Related Technologies
314,628
2.
Engineering and Related Technologies
352,200
Management and Commerce
310,800
3.
Society and Culture
240,326
Society and Culture
180,558

Top 3 fields of study
(18-30 year olds)
1.
Management and Commerce
90,527
Management and Commerce
82,497
2.
Engineering and Related Technologies
60,430
Engineering and Related Technologies
55,715
3.
Society and Culture
57,118
Society and Culture
46,035

Top 3 fields of study
(growth rate, 2011 to 2016)
1.
Society and Culture 33.1%
2.
Health 26.5%
3.
Management and Commerce 26.4%

* Excludes Mixed Field Programmes


Migration
1 year ago
5 years ago

Current residents who lived interstate
77,131
220,316
Current residents who lived overseas
66,975
228,095

Notes
* All data based on Place of Usual Residence