Job data shows loss of workers

THE Swan Hill region’s workforce has shed more than 200 people since 2006, according to new Census figures released this week that also show a shift towards professional, tertiary-educated employment.

The figures released on Tuesday show the Swan Hill municipality housed 9410 working people at the time of the last Census snapshot on August 9, 2011.

This is a decrease of 222 people, or 2.3 per cent, from the last count in 2006.

The number of professionals (14.1 per cent) surpassed the amount of labourers (13.7 per cent) in the last five years according to the survey, while ‘Manager’ remained the most common response (21.4 per cent).

Agriculture, forestry and fishing dropped 406 jobs, moving from 22.3 per cent of total employment to 18.4 per cent, while the specific area of fruit and tree nut growing shed 218 jobs.

Swan Hill followed national trends, with mining and health care showing the sharpest increases.