Employment
Unpaid care
About this topic
Unpaid care records whether people aged 15 years and over spent time providing unpaid help or assistance to someone because of disability, long-term illness, or problems related to old age. It captures informal care provided by family members or others in the community.
This topic is useful for understanding the demand placed on informal carers and the likely need for support services, respite, and home-based assistance. It does not measure the intensity or duration of care, so it should be read alongside need for assistance and other health and ageing indicators.
Interpretation notes
- This records whether a person aged 15 years and over provided unpaid help or assistance in the previous two weeks because of disability, long-term illness, or old age.
- It identifies whether care was provided, not the intensity, frequency, or number of hours of care.
Related topics
Key insight
In 2021, not providing unpaid care was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in The Gums, accounting for 67.9% (93 people). This share was lower than Western Downs (R) (77.5%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not providing unpaid care, which increased by 61 people, while its share fell by 26.2 percentage points.
Section overview
Unpaid care
The Gums - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises unpaid care for The Gums in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Western Downs (R) and change since 2016.
Unpaid care snapshot
2021 distribution by category for The Gums, with comparison markers for Western Downs (R).
Total Provided Unpaid Assistance
2021 count
19
% of total
13.9%
Change from 2016
+13.9pp
19
13.9%
+13.9pp
Total No Unpaid Assistance Provided
2021 count
93
% of total
67.9%
Change from 2016
-26.2pp
93
67.9%
-26.2pp
Total Unpaid Assistance Not Stated
2021 count
25
% of total
18.2%
Change from 2016
+9.4pp
25
18.2%
+9.4pp
Chart view
Unpaid care change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Total Provided Unpaid Assistance
+19
+13.9pp
Total No Unpaid Assistance Provided
+61
-26.2pp
Total Unpaid Assistance Not Stated
+22
+9.4pp
Data table
Unpaid care for The Gums. Unpaid care. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Western Downs (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Western Downs (R)% | Count | % | Western Downs (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Total Provided Unpaid Assistance | 19 | 13.9% | 11.4% | 0 | 0.0% | 10.7% | +19 | +13.9pp |
| Total No Unpaid Assistance Provided | 93 | 67.9% | 77.5% | 32 | 94.1% | 75.2% | +61 | -26.2pp |
| Total Unpaid Assistance Not Stated | 25 | 18.2% | 11.2% | 3 | 8.8% | 14.1% | +22 | +9.4pp |
| Total | 137 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 34 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +103 | 0.0pp |