The Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics (BTRE) has commenced a new series of Information Papers providing targeted research and analysis into regional development issues. The Focus on Regions series aims to assist regional decision making by improving the underlying knowledge base regarding the economic and social performance of Australia’s regions.
Each of the Focus on Regions Information Papers is released with a complementary database providing a wealth of small-area data relevant to the topic in focus.
Focus on Regions No. 1: Industry Structure was released on 19 January. It presents and analyses statistical information about the industry structure of employment in Australia’s regions for the 1991 to 2001 period. Recent national and regional trends in industry structure are identified, and industry specialisation, diversity and structural change are analysed at a regional level. The relationship between industry structure and regional economic growth is also explored for Australia’s regions.
The report demonstrates that the industry structure of employment is very closely linked to region size and remoteness, and concludes that the industry structure of employment plays a significant, but not dominant, role in explaining differences in regional economic growth. Regions with a highly diverse industry structure were found to experience more stable economic performance than other regions. The Industry Structure Database contains detailed industry employment data for each statistical local area in Australia, and provides a valuable tool for understanding the economic structure and potential of our regions.
Focus on Regions No.2: Education, Skills and Qualifications is due for release in early February. It discusses the distribution of skills and qualifications across Australia’s regions. It analyses trends in educational attainment, occupational status and the presence of selected professionals and skilled tradespeople between 1991 and 2001, as well as the changing education and occupation structures of industries.
The relationship between education, skills and qualifications and regional economic growth is also explored. The Education, Skills and Qualifications Database will be made available to the public through the BTRE website. The database contains detailed small-area data on the 1991 to 2001 distribution of educational attainment and occupation status across industries.
Copies of these reports, and the complementary databases, can be accessed from the BTRE’s website (www.btre.gov.au) or by calling (02) 6274 7210.
