Recent employment trends

Going up

• We now have a lot more people employed in service-based industries such as business and financial services, community and health services, wholesale and retail trade, and tourist services such as hotels.

• The number of people employed has risen by 97,000 between 1996 and 2001, with most of the growth occurring in professional occupations. This group, which comprises highly skilled jobs that often require a university degree, has grown more than any other over the last five years.

   

• Sales and services jobs employ just as many people as professional occupations and this number is rising too.

   

• There are more people employed part time and the number of part-time jobs has increased faster than full-time ones.

   

• There are more women and more older people in the workforce.

   

• More young people between 15 and 19 are working part time, and more young people are working while they’re studying.

   

• Skills shortages in some industries are on the rise, and they are at the highest level for 25 years.

   

• The job market is changing faster than ever, and more new jobs are being created.

Going down

• Fewer people are employed in our traditional occupations such as agriculture and fisheries.

• Unemployment has dropped – falling to 3.8 percent in the September quarter of 2004 – so there are more job opportunities.