Results from the 2016 Census of Population and Housing has revealed more than half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young adults are fully engaged in work and study.
Fifty two per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 to 24 years said they were participating in either education or work, up from 46 per cent in 2006.
Around 223,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over reported participating in the labour force.
Men (55 per cent) are more likely than women (49 per cent) to be in the labour force.
The most commonly reported occupation is Community and Personal Service Workers (17 per cent), a change from the 2011 Census which recorded Labourers as the most common occupation (18 per cent) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
While there remains a gender gap in employment outcomes, female participation in education is increasing faster than male participation, particularly at the tertiary level.
Attendance for young men and women in the 15 to 17 year age group increased from 51 per cent and 54 per cent to 70 per cent and 73 per cent respectively.
Attendance at university or other tertiary institutions also increased for 18 to 24 year old men (from four per cent to seven per cent) and women (from seven per cent to 12 per cent).
The insights Census provides into the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are used by policy-makers, researchers and the community.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represent 2.8 per cent of Australia’s total population, up from 2.5 per cent in 2011, and 2.3 per cent in 2006.
Of the 649,200 people who identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin, 90.9 per cent are of Aboriginal origin, 5.0 per cent are of Torres Strait Islander origin, and 4.1 per cent identified as being of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin.
