Employment
Employment status
About this topic
Employment status shows whether people aged 15 years and over are employed full-time or part-time, unemployed, or not in the labour force. It is one of the main Census indicators of labour market participation and economic engagement.
This topic is useful for understanding workforce participation, unemployment, and the broader socio-economic profile of an area. Results from 2021 should be read carefully because COVID-19 restrictions increased the number of people who were employed but away from work around Census time.
Interpretation notes
- Labour force status is based on the week before Census night for people aged 15 years and over.
- In 2021, lockdown instructions could shift more people into 'employed, away from work', so over-time comparisons need care.
- The 'away from work' group also includes people who reported having a job but did not state hours worked.
Key insight
In 2021, Employed was the most common category among residents aged 15 and over in Cowra (A), accounting for 94.8% (5,158 people). This share was lower than Regional NSW (95.4%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in Employed, which increased by 347 people and 1.3 percentage points.
Section overview
Labour force status
Cowra (A) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises employment status for Cowra (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Chart view
Labour force status snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cowra (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
Employed
2021 count
5,158
% of total
94.8%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
5,158
94.8%
+1.3pp
Employed full-time
2021 count
3,060
% of total
56.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
3,060
56.2%
+0.3pp
Employed part-time
2021 count
1,764
% of total
32.4%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
1,764
32.4%
+0.5pp
Employed, away from work
2021 count
340
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
340
6.2%
+0.6pp
Unemployed (Unemployment rate)
2021 count
277
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
277
5.1%
-1.4pp
Looking for full-time work
2021 count
168
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
168
3.1%
-0.9pp
Looking for part-time work
2021 count
116
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
116
2.1%
-0.4pp
Labour force status change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Employed
+347
+1.3pp
Employed full-time
+180
+0.3pp
Employed part-time
+120
+0.5pp
Employed, away from work
+52
+0.6pp
Unemployed (Unemployment rate)
-58
-1.4pp
Looking for full-time work
-40
-0.9pp
Looking for part-time work
-12
-0.4pp
Data table
Employment status for Cowra (A). Labour force status. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| Employed | 5,158 | 94.8% | 95.4% | 4,811 | 93.5% | 93.4% | +347 | +1.3pp |
| Employed full-time | 3,060 | 56.2% | 54.5% | 2,880 | 55.9% | 55.2% | +180 | +0.3pp |
| Employed part-time | 1,764 | 32.4% | 33.7% | 1,644 | 31.9% | 32.8% | +120 | +0.5pp |
| Employed, away from work | 340 | 6.2% | 7.3% | 288 | 5.6% | 5.4% | +52 | +0.6pp |
| Unemployed (Unemployment rate) | 277 | 5.1% | 4.6% | 335 | 6.5% | 6.6% | -58 | -1.4pp |
| Looking for full-time work | 168 | 3.1% | 2.5% | 208 | 4.0% | 3.9% | -40 | -0.9pp |
| Looking for part-time work | 116 | 2.1% | 2.0% | 128 | 2.5% | 2.7% | -12 | -0.4pp |
| Total labour force | 5,443 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 5,148 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +295 | 0.0pp |