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 Bulgarra, accounting for 97.1% (1,624 people). This share was similar to Karratha (C) (97.1%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in Employed, which increased by 165 people and 2.7 percentage points.
Section overview
Labour force status
Bulgarra - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises employment status for Bulgarra in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Karratha (C) and change since 2016.
Labour force status snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Bulgarra, with comparison markers for Karratha (C).
Employed
2021 count
1,624
% of total
97.1%
Change from 2016
+2.7pp
1,624
97.1%
+2.7pp
Employed full-time
2021 count
1,191
% of total
71.2%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
1,191
71.2%
+0.9pp
Employed part-time
2021 count
320
% of total
19.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
320
19.1%
+0.2pp
Employed, away from work
2021 count
118
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
118
7.1%
+1.7pp
Unemployed (Unemployment rate)
2021 count
46
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
46
2.8%
-2.4pp
Looking for full-time work
2021 count
30
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-2.2pp
30
1.8%
-2.2pp
Looking for part-time work
2021 count
15
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
15
0.9%
-0.7pp
Chart view
Labour force status change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Employed
+165
+2.7pp
Employed full-time
+104
+0.9pp
Employed part-time
+28
+0.2pp
Employed, away from work
+35
+1.7pp
Unemployed (Unemployment rate)
-34
-2.4pp
Looking for full-time work
-32
-2.2pp
Looking for part-time work
-9
-0.7pp
Data table
Employment status for Bulgarra. Labour force status. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Karratha (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Karratha (C)% | Count | % | Karratha (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Employed | 1,624 | 97.1% | 97.1% | 1,459 | 94.4% | 94.0% | +165 | +2.7pp |
| Employed full-time | 1,191 | 71.2% | 69.1% | 1,087 | 70.3% | 69.4% | +104 | +0.9pp |
| Employed part-time | 320 | 19.1% | 20.4% | 292 | 18.9% | 17.9% | +28 | +0.2pp |
| Employed, away from work | 118 | 7.1% | 7.7% | 83 | 5.4% | 6.7% | +35 | +1.7pp |
| Unemployed (Unemployment rate) | 46 | 2.8% | 2.9% | 80 | 5.2% | 6.0% | -34 | -2.4pp |
| Looking for full-time work | 30 | 1.8% | 1.7% | 62 | 4.0% | 4.3% | -32 | -2.2pp |
| Looking for part-time work | 15 | 0.9% | 1.1% | 24 | 1.6% | 1.7% | -9 | -0.7pp |
| Total labour force | 1,672 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1,546 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +126 | 0.0pp |