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 Rowville, accounting for 95.6% (18,168 people). This share was similar to Knox (C) (95.6%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in Employed, away from work, which increased by 233 people and 1.2 percentage points.
Section overview
Labour force status
Rowville - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises employment status for Rowville in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Knox (C) and change since 2016.
Labour force status snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Rowville, with comparison markers for Knox (C).
Employed
2021 count
18,168
% of total
95.6%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
18,168
95.6%
+0.7pp
Employed full-time
2021 count
11,249
% of total
59.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
11,249
59.2%
+0.1pp
Employed part-time
2021 count
5,920
% of total
31.2%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
5,920
31.2%
-0.6pp
Employed, away from work
2021 count
996
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
996
5.2%
+1.2pp
Unemployed (Unemployment rate)
2021 count
833
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
833
4.4%
-0.7pp
Looking for full-time work
2021 count
401
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
401
2.1%
-0.5pp
Looking for part-time work
2021 count
434
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
434
2.3%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Labour force status change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Employed
+222
+0.7pp
Employed full-time
+79
+0.1pp
Employed part-time
-92
-0.6pp
Employed, away from work
+233
+1.2pp
Unemployed (Unemployment rate)
-122
-0.7pp
Looking for full-time work
-82
-0.5pp
Looking for part-time work
-39
-0.2pp
Data table
Employment status for Rowville. Labour force status. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Knox (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Knox (C)% | Count | % | Knox (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Employed | 18,168 | 95.6% | 95.6% | 17,946 | 94.9% | 94.4% | +222 | +0.7pp |
| Employed full-time | 11,249 | 59.2% | 57.7% | 11,170 | 59.1% | 58.4% | +79 | +0.1pp |
| Employed part-time | 5,920 | 31.2% | 32.2% | 6,012 | 31.8% | 31.5% | -92 | -0.6pp |
| Employed, away from work | 996 | 5.2% | 5.7% | 763 | 4.0% | 4.4% | +233 | +1.2pp |
| Unemployed (Unemployment rate) | 833 | 4.4% | 4.4% | 955 | 5.1% | 5.6% | -122 | -0.7pp |
| Looking for full-time work | 401 | 2.1% | 2.1% | 483 | 2.6% | 2.9% | -82 | -0.5pp |
| Looking for part-time work | 434 | 2.3% | 2.3% | 473 | 2.5% | 2.7% | -39 | -0.2pp |
| Total labour force | 19,000 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 18,903 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +97 | 0.0pp |