Jobs and innovation
Development of this dataset will build on the strengths of the employment data that is available in collaboration with State Government agencies and local government.
Job types
2021
In 2021, there were over 2.6 million people working in the Six Cities Region. About a third of the jobs in the Six Cities Region were knowledge and professional services and 29% were population serving jobs. Health and education jobs accounted for 24%, and jobs in the industrial sector comprised 16% of all jobs.
In 2021, 49% of jobs in the Six Cities Region were in the Eastern Harbour City. This compares with 20% in the Central River City, 13% in the Western Parkland City, 9% in the Lower Hunter and Newcastle City, 6% in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven City and 4% in the Central Coast City.
2011-2021
The number of jobs in the Six Cities Region grew by nearly 600,000 between 2011 and 2021, increasing from 2.1 million to 2.7 million.
Since 2011 there has been growth in health and education, knowledge intensive and population serving jobs in all cities. Industrial jobs declined in all cities, except the Western Parkland City as well the Central Coast City.
Education types
2021
In 2021, in all cities except the Eastern Harbour City the highest proportion of students attending education were in primary school. In the Eastern Harbour City, there were a higher proportion of students attending tertiary education.
2011-2021
University participation in the Six Cities Region increased by 25% between 2011 and 2021. Western Parkland City and Central River City had the highest increase in university participation, 45% and 49% respectively. During this time, participation in education increased across the region.
Tertiary education 2011-2021
Level of education attained 2021
In the Six Cities Region, 28% of people had undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications in 2021.
Across the cities, undergraduate or postgraduate qualification ranges from 16% in the Central Coast City to 41% in the Eastern Harbour City.
Level of education attained 2011-2021
In the Six Cities Region, there was a 56% increase in the number of people who had attained an undergraduate qualification and a 102% increase in postgraduate qualifications between 2011 and 2021. The highest increase in attainment was in the Central River City at 80% and 144% respectively and the Western Parkland City District at 79% and 168% respectively.