The main occupation categories for people aged 15 years and over in Baffle Creek, Deepwater and Rules Beach are:

• 27.6% - Labourers
• 11.2% - Community and personal service workers
• 9.5% - Machinery operators
• 9.5% - Managers
• 9.5% - Sales workers
• 9.5% - Technicians and Trade Operators
• 8.6% - Professionals

The majority of residents in the Baffle Creek, Deepwater and Rules Beach areas are not in the labour force.  This category increased by 17.6 per cent between 2016 and 2021.

The most common occupational category was labourers, which remains consistent across the Census period. While continuing to rank as the number one occupational category in 2021 and 2016, the percentage of the workforce in this category increased from 19.4 per cent (18 people) to 27.6 per cent (32 people) in 2021.

The second largest increase was seen in those working in the community and personal service category, representing 6.5 per cent of the workforce in 2016, increasing to 11.2 per cent in 2021.

This is followed by sales workers which represented 5.4 per cent of the workforce in 2016, increasing to 9.5 per cent in 2021, an increase of six people up from five.

Notable decreases were seen in the professional’s occupational category, which made up 19.4 per cent of the work force in 2016, reducing to 8.6 per cent in 2021. This means eight less people work in this category.

The number of managers decreased over the same period from 15 to 11, which was a 6.6 per cent reduction of the workforce in this category.

Smaller decreases were seen in the technicians and trades workers and clerical and administrative workers categories. With the percentage of the workforce in these categories decreasing by 4.5 per cent and 4.9 per cent respectively.

The combined number of people that worked full time has increased by 17.3 per cent between 2016 and 2021. This represents nine people.

This is a trend that has carried across Baffle Creek and Deepwater. While in Rules Beach there has been a slight decrease of people working full time, by three, which is 21.2 per cent of the workforce in 2021 compared 20.3 per cent in 2016.

Over the same period, the number of people that worked part time increased by one person. The proportion of people working part time is different in Baffle Creek, Deepwater and Rules Beach.

In 2016, 9.9 per cent (14 people) of the workforce in Baffle Creek worked part time. This reduced to 6.6 per cent in 2021 (or nine people). In Deepwater, the number of people working part time increased by nine people, meaning 5.8 per cent of the workforce worked part time in 2016 compared to 7.6 per cent in 2021. In Deepwater there were no people that worked part time in 2021, a reduction of 5 people from 2016.

The overall unemployment rate for Baffle Creek, Deepwater and Rules Beach has reduced from 6.7 per cent in 2016 to 4.2 per cent in 2021. Meaning 8 less people are unemployed.

Looking at more localised trends, the number of people unemployed in Rules Beach decreased from four to zero between 2021 and 2016, which took the unemployment rate from 5.8 per cent to 0 per cent between 2016 and 2021.

Deepwater saw a reduction in the unemployment rate from 7.9 per cent in 2016 compared to 4.2 per cent in 2021, which equates to 4 less people unemployed. There was no change in Baffle Creek, with 8 people being unemployed in 2016 and in 2021.

There has also been a 17.6 per cent increase in the percentage of the population not in the workforce since 2016, which equates to 40 people.

Most of this increase is attributed to Deepwater which has seen an increase of 36 people not in the workforce between 2016 and 2021. While there is an increase in number of people not in the workforce, there was a reduction of the percentage of the population not in the workforce. Reducing from 59.7 per cent in 2016 to 57 per cent in 2021.

Data for Baffle Creek shows the number of people not in the work force has stayed static at 74 people in 2016 and 2021 - 52 per cent of the population in 2016 compared to 54 per cent in 2021.

There has also been an increase in the proportion of the community that has not stated their labour force status when looking at combined data. In 2016 it was 12.2 per cent, increasing to 13.9 per cent in 2021. This is an increase of 14 people.

While there has been an increase in the number of people that have not stated their labour force status in the combined data, this is not the case at the suburb level.

The number of people that did not state labour force status in Baffle Creek reduced from 23 people in 2016 to 17 in 2021. Which was 16.3 per cent of the population in 2016 compared to 12.4 per cent in 2021.

In Deepwater there was a notable increase in the number of people not stating their labour force status between 2016 and 2021, increasing from 18 (9.4 per cent of population) in 2016 to 40 people (15.2 per cent of population) in 2021.

In Rules Beach there was a minimal change in the percentage of the population that did not state their labour force status, decreasing from 11.6 per cent in 2016 to 11.5 per cent in 2021, a reduction of 2 people.

When looking at the combined data of Baffle Creek, Deepwater and Rules Beach there have been changes to the top-ranking industries of employment between 2016 and 2021.

In 2021 the top 5 ranked industries were agriculture, forestry and fishing at 19.3 per cent, followed by construction at 14 per cent of the workforce. The third highest ranking industry was accommodation and food services, which was 12.3 per cent of the workforce. While in joint third was mining and administrative support services at 7.9 per cent. Ranking 5 was retail trade at 5 per cent.

In 2016, the top-ranking industry was agriculture, forestry and fishing, employing 10.8 per cent of the workforce. This industry saw an 120 per cent increase in the workforce from 10 people in 2016 to 22 people in 2021. The percentage of the population working in the education and training industry was also 10.8 per cent, ranking joint first. This industry saw a decrease in the percentage of the population undertaking this work, reducing from 10.8 per cent in 2016 compared to 2.6 per cent in 2021. This equates to a reduction in 7 people.

Professional, Scientific and Technical Services ranked second in 2016, making up 9.7 per cent of the workforce. In 2021 there were no people working in this category.

The industry that ranked third was accommodation and food services at 8.6 per cent of the workforce. Followed by 7.5 per cent that did not describe their industry of employment adequately.  Ranking 5th was retail trade making up 6.5 per cent of the workforce.

Hours worked

There has been a 10.4 per cent increase in the number of employees working 35 hours or more between 2016 and 2021, an increase of five people when looking at the combined data for Baffle Creek Deepwater and Rules Beach.

In 2021, 36 per cent (15 people) of the Baffle Creek workforce worked over 35 hours, compared to 27 per cent in 2016 (10 people).

The proportion of people working more than 35 hours was larger in Deepwater at 53 per cent (32 people) of the workforce, which has decreased since 2016 when 72 per cent (26 people) of the workforce were working more than 35 hours.

It is also worth noting that not all detail for Rules Beach is provided in the 2021 Census data, with the number of hours worked not provided for six people which affects the accuracy of the data quoted about hours worked.

Data from the 2021 census shows 82 per cent of workers travel to their place of work by car, either as driver or passenger.

Considerations:

• There is a large proportion of people working over 35 hours, consideration is to be given to the accessibility and timing of events, activities and programs.
• A large proportion of the workforce are employed in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing and Accommodation and Food Services which can involve early starts and shift work. This can impact availability to attend events, programs and activities.