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Description
For the main job held last week, what was the business's name?
For self-employed persons, provide the name of the Person's business.
For teachers, provide the name of the school.
Business name
Public/private sector (GNGP)
Latest release
Census of Population and Housing: Census dictionary
Reference period
2021
Released
15/10/2021
Definition
This variable classifies employed people according to whether they are employed in the government (public) or non-government (private) sector. The public sector is further broken down into National, State and Territory or Local Government.
Scope
Employed persons 15 years of age and over
Categories
| Code | Category |
|---|---|
| 1 | National Government |
| 2 | State/Territory Government |
| 3 | Local Government |
| 4 | Private Sector |
| & | Not stated |
| @ | Not applicable |
| V | Overseas visitor |
Number of categories: 7
Not applicable (@) category comprises:
- Unemployed persons, looking for either full-time or part-time work
- Persons not in the labour force
- Persons with Labour Force Status (LFSP), not stated
- Persons aged under 15 years
See Understanding supplementary codes for more information.
Question(s) from the Census form
For the main job held last week, what was the employer’s business name?
What best describes the industry or business of the employer at the location where the person works?
What are the main goods produced or main services provided by the employer’s business?
For the main job held last week, what was the person’s workplace address?
How this variable is created
Data for this variable is captured automatically from written responses to Labour Force questions on the Census form. The employer's business name and the workplace address of the employed person is used to classify employed persons into the public or private sector. If the person's employment cannot be determined as public sector, responses are coded to private sector as the default code. If the person's employment in the public sector cannot be further broken down into National, State and Territory or Local Government, responses are imputed on a proportional basis to National, State and Territory or Local Government.
History and changes
Questions on what industry people are employed in has been asked in all Censuses since 1911. A separate variable to classify the sector as public or private was first provided for the 1971 Census.
Over time, the name of this variable has changed, but the meaning and the purpose of the question has remained the same:
- 1971: Industry Sector (GOVT)
- 1976-2006: Industry Sector (GNGP) - noting that in 1996-2001 a category for Community Development Employment Program was included
- 2011-2021: Public/Private Employer Indicator (GNGP)
No changes have been made for 2021.
Data use considerations
There are no data use considerations for this variable.
This variable does not have a non-response rate as it is created during Census processing by using responses from more than one question on the Census form.