Junee Regional Profile

The main regional centre in the Junee Shire is Junee which is a regional town situated 435 km south west of Sydney.

In 2001 the population of the Junee Shire was 5,905. The Shire has experienced strong growth in the number of people aged over 40 since 1996.

There are around 2,196 people in the workforce in the Junee Shire, of which 63% work full-time and 25% work part-time. At the time of the last census 8% of residents were unemployed.

Two of the largest employers in the Junee Shire are the agriculture (21.1%) and transport and storage (10.2%) industries. The median taxable income for the Junee Shire is approximately $686 per week.

Demographics

Age Distribution

Between 1996 and 2001 Junee Shire experienced a decline in population of 1.5%.

The decline in population was due in part to a reduction in the number of people under 40 years of age. Growth in most older demographics offset some of this decline.

Junee Shire has a population distribution close to the state and regional averages, however the Shire has a slightly higher proportion of residents in the 25-64 age group.

Income

The median taxable income for the Junee Shire is approximately $686 per week. This is higher than the average for the Riverina as a whole.

The highest proportion of residents in the Junee Shire (12.3%) earn between $200 and $299 per week.

Average weekly income for females is slightly lower than that of males.

Indigenous Profile

Indigenous Persons

Indigenous persons account for 3.7% of the total population in the Junee Shire. This is slightly higher than the average for the Riverina region (3.3%) and NSW (2%).

While the total population of Junee Shire seems to be ageing, the indigenous population is heavily skewed towards younger age groups especially the 20-29 and 30-39 age groups.

Labour Force

Indigenous unemployment is lower in the Junee Shire than the averages for either the Riverina or NSW.

The level of unemployment for females is 7.5% higher than that of males, which is unusual given that males tend to have the higher rate. There are however a large number of indigenous males not in the labour force which could influence this outcome.

The average unemployment rate of indigenous persons in the Junee Shire (15.4%) is twice the unemployment rate for the total population (7.7%).

Education

Level of Education

The most common form of post-school qualification completed by Junee residents is a certificate (10.9%).

Males tend to pursue certificate qualifications, while females are evenly spread across certificates and bachelor qualifications.

Junee has a lower average level of education than both regional and state levels.

Field of Education

The most common fields of study in the Junee Shire are engineering, management and agriculture.

Engineering and agriculture are the most common fields of study for males. Females tend to move into the management and health fields

These trends are similar to those of the Riverina region and NSW as a whole.

Internet Use

Over 27% of residents in the Junee Shire use the Internet, with most use occurring in the home.

The level of use of the Internet for males is slightly higher than that of females (27% and 26% respectively).

Only 0.3% of people aged over 65 use the Internet with highest use in the prime working age bracket (25-64 years).

Industry

Industry Performance

Industry growth due to local factors was strongest in the wholesale trade industry with 49 jobs created between 1996 and 2001. Other industries experiencing moderate local growth include cultural and recreational services, retail trade and electricity, gas and water supply.

Employment by Occupation

Employment in the Junee Shire is concentrated in managers and administrators occupations as well as intermediate clerical sales and service occupations.

The prevalence of these occupations is attributable to the high number of farmers and small business owners who are classified as managers.

Males are mostly employed as managers and production and transport workers while females tend to be employed in clerical, professional or managerial occupations.

Employment

Labour Force Status

The average rate of unemployment in the Junee Shire is 7.7% with a participation rate of 46.1%.

The Junee Shire experienced employment growth of 4.5% between 1996 and 2001. This is slightly higher than the average rate of growth for the Riverina of 4.0%.

Female unemployment is higher in residents under 34 years of age, while males have higher unemployment levels in the older age brackets.

Employment Trend

Agriculture has remained the largest employer in the Junee Shire since 1991.

The largest increase in employment since 1991 occurred in the personal and other services sector. The largest decrease occurred in the transport and storage industry.

Male employment is concentrated in the agriculture and transport industries. A high number of females are also employed in the agriculture sector, the health and community services sector is also a prominent employer.

Building Approvals

The total value of building approvals in the Junee Shire in 2002 was $2.1 million. The average price of building approvals was $211,000.

The value of residential building approvals grew by only 1.8% p.a. between 1998 and 2002. This is much lower than the average growth of 55% for NSW and the Riverina (43.7%).

The building market in Junee appears to be quite volatile and while it reacts to the same overall trends experienced across the Riverina the effect is sometimes amplified, possibly due to the small population.