Stats from the Australian Jobs Report

The annual Australian Jobs report was recently released by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), and while it reinforced many things we're all familiar with, there were some interesting statistics.

Here are some of the points of interest:

• While employment fell in Manufacturing over the five years to November 2011, there are still more people employed in Manufacturing than there are in the Arts and Recreation Services; Information Media and Telecommunications; Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services; and Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services industries combined.

• Australian labour market remains one of the best performing in the advanced world, with an unemployment rate of 5.2%, around half that of the Euro Area (10.8%) and well below the rate in the United States (8.2%) and United Kingdom (8.3%).

• Australia has an ageing workforce, with almost two out of every five workers (38%) aged 45 years or older, up from 33% a decade ago.

• Over the year to November 2011, regional employment growth exceeded the capital city growth rate in all states except Tasmania.

• More than 1 million new jobs were created in Australia in the five years to November 2011.

• More than 3.2 million workers are employed in an occupation assessed at skill level 1 (equivalent to a Bachelor Degree or higher qualification)