The main occupation categories for people aged 15 years and over in Calliope are:

• 23% - Technicians and Trade Operators
• 15.7% - Machinery Operators and Drivers
• 12.6% - Labourers
• 10.1% - Professionals
• 9.9% - Clerical and Administrative workers
• 9.6% - Community and Personal Service Workers
• 8.5% - Sales workers
• 8.3% - Managers

There have been minor fluctuations across the eight measured employment categories across the three Census periods, mostly due to population growth.

One of the eight categories has seen continued growth, Community and Personal Service Workers, with an increase of 43.7 per cent from 2011 to 2021. The Community and Personal Service Workers field has seen the largest growth of all occupations during the period.

Technicians and Trade Workers and Machinery Operators and Drivers have a higher representation in Calliope that the overall Gladstone Region.  Technicians and Trade Workers in Calliope are 23 per cent of the workforce with the Gladstone Region at 20.6 per cent, and Machinery Operators and Drivers are 15.7 per cent against the Gladstone Region percentage of 12.2 per cent.

Employment Type:

• Almost 40 per cent of the population of Calliope work full time.
• Significant percentage increase of people working part-time, with a change of 41.5 per cent from 2011 to 2021 (37 people).
• 2.9 per cent of the Calliope population work away for work.
• There has been a significant increase in the unemployment status for Calliope, with the change across the decade of 132.3 per cent. This rate was almost doubled between 2011 and 2016 as the percentage of unemployed at Calliope grew from 2.3 per cent in 2011 to 6.4 per cent in 2016 (163 people, or 229.5 per cent).
• There is also steady growth of people not in the labour force, with a growth of 35.5 per cent between the 2011 and 2021 Census period (284 people).

The main occupation categories for people aged 15 years and over in Calliope are:

1. Manufacturing (12.8 per cent pop)
2. Construction (12.1 per cent pop)
3. Retail Trade (9.2 per cent pop)
4. Health Care and Social Assistance (9.1 per cent pop)
5. Transport, Postal and Warehousing (8.9 pe rcent pop)

• Administration and Support Services had the highest growth across the decade with an increase of 97.6 per cent (increase of 42 people).
• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services also had significant decline of 48.1 per cent (65 people).
• Other growth areas across the 2011 - 2021 period were; Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (43.4 per cent and 10 people); Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services (60.4 per cent - 29 people - assume growth was related to LNG gas); Education and Training (67.0 per cent and 63 people); Health Care and Social Assistance (58 per cent and 76 people).

Between the 2016 and 2021 period:

• Mining saw a 46.6 per cent increase (35 people)
• Increase in Health Care and Social Assistance of 32.6 per cent or 51 people
• Decline of 50 per cent in Financial and Insurance Services (11 people)
• Continued decline in Professional, Scientific and Technical Services of 42.1 per cent or 51 people

Between 2011 and 2016

• Increase of 100 per cent in Arts and Recreation Services (9 people)
• Increase of 95.3 per cent in Administrative and Support Services (19 people)
• Increase of 19 people 91.3 per cent in Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing

Fields that have seen consistent growth across the decade are:- Education and Training; Health Care and Social Assistance and Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services.

• The majority of the Calliope population work over 50 hours per week (21.8 per cent of the population).
• This is consistent with the hours worked in 2016 as well.
• Reflective of the occupation type with highest occupation type being Trades and Technical Services.
• Second highest hours worked is the 40-44 hours (17.7 per cent of pop). There has been a shift since 2016 with employees working an additional 5 hours per week.

In 2021, 65.3 per cent of the workforce worked more than 35 hours week which is 0.7 per cent higher than in 2016, this equates to 1457 less people working more than 35 hours.

Those working over 50 hours has remained static at 22 per cent of the workforce in 2021 compared to 23 per cent in 2016.

Industry of employment:

The top responses for employees ages over 15 years and over in Calliope:

• 5.4%    Aluminium Smelting (123 people)
• 3.6%    Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (83 people)
• 3.1%    Supermarket and Grocery Stores (70 people)
• 2.9%    Alumina Production (66 people)
• 2.7%    Local Government Administration (61 people)

Compared to top five responses for Gladstone Region:

• 5.7%    Aluminium Smelting (1619 people)
• 3.6%    Alumina Production (1039 people)
• 3.2%    Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (909 people)
• 3.1%    Primary Education (883 people)
• 2.8%    Supermarket and Grocery Stores (809 people)

Travel to work:

Source: ABS Census 2021, 2016, 2011

• Data from the 2021 census shows 75.4 per cent of workers travel to their place of work by car, either as driver or passenger.
• There has been a significant decrease in workers travelling by bus (94.4 per cent or 51 people) - this could be due to the transport options provided by Bechtel during construction of LNG.
• Increase in employees travelling to work by bicycle.
• An increase from 2016 Census to 2021 Census in people working at home (67.8 per cent or 38 people). Assumption that this is due to COVID-19 and the mandates to work from home.

Considerations:

There is a large proportion on people working over 35 hours and almost a quarter of people working more than 50 hours. Consideration to be given around the accessibility and timing of events, activities and programs.

The majority of workers drive to work. Dawson Highway connects Gladstone and Calliope for 23.3km, which is a 21-minute drive. Given travelling by car is the most popular transport option, car pooling could be communicated more prominently to encourage this mode of transport and reduce carbon emissions and costs.

Occupation by Age by Sex (over 15 years)

Source: ABS Census 2021, 2016, 2011