Assciatin f Cnsulting Architects The Business f Architecture Architects in Suth Australia a view frm the census Prepared by Gill Matthewsn an ACA resurce ACA SA PO Bx 354 Unley Adelaide, SA 561 T +61 13 653 26 E sa@aca.rg.au www.aca.rg.au Assciatin f Cnsulting Architects
SA branch Assciatin f Cnsulting Architects The Business f Architecture PO Bx 354 Unley, SA 561 ABN 16 973 81 37 T +61 13 653 26 E sa@aca.rg.au www.aca.rg.au ARCHITECTS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA A VIEW FROM CENSUS DATA Prepared by Gill Matthewsn This reprt is part f the ACA State f the Prfessin research prject, led by Jhn Held and Sue Phillips f ACA SA and funded thrugh a grant frm the Architectural Practice Bard f Suth Australia. Census data This reprt is based n the analysis f custmised data abut thse wh identified themselves as architects (ccupatin cde Architect, ANZSCO 232111) in Suth Australia in the 21, 26 and 211 Australian Bureau f Statistics Censuses f Ppulatin and Husing. Census data includes all thse wh describe their ccupatin as architect, whether r nt they are registered r members f prfessinal assciatins. 1 Because f this, Census figures are mre inclusive than ther cunts f prfessinal participatin and, internatinally, researchers in architecture cnsider them t be reasnably accurate data fr the architecture wrkfrce. 2 Overall findings The reprt finds the fllwing: Overall, Suth Australia s architecture prfessin is grwing but its psitin is nt as strng as that in sme f the larger states. Architects are increasing their presence in the state in relative numbers cmpared t the verall ppulatin. Architects are increasingly emplyees and emplyers rather than independent wrkers. In 211, fewer architects seemed t be wrking lng hurs than in the past.. Suth Australia lags behind the rest f the cuntry in terms f the representatin f wmen in the prfessin. Suth Australia has lwer incme levels than architects in the rest f Australia. Detailed findings Number f architects As expected, the ppulatin f architects fluctuates acrss the three Censuses, as shwn in Table 1: Table 1: Number f architects Year Suth Australia SA % f Aus 21 632 11,442 5.6% 26 695 13,285 5.2% 211 814 14,973 5.4% 21 t 211 grwth 29% 33% While Australia as a whle shwed a steady grwth in the number f architects fr the ten-year perid, Suth Australia experienced less grwth in the first five-year perid, then surged ver the next Census perid, but did nt quite catch up with the natinal rate f grwth 29% fr the state and 33% fr the cuntry. Assciatin f Cnsulting Architects11/5/216 ACA_SA_Census_FINAL.dcx page 1 f 7
Perhaps a mre imprtant figure is hw thse straight numbers f architects relate t the verall ppulatin, which has, f curse, als increased between Censuses. Dividing the number f architects int the ttal ppulatin gives the number f architects per 1, peple, shwn in Figure 1: 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Suth Australia 21 26 211 Figure 1: Number f architects fr every 1, peple By this measure, there was mre subdued grwth than that shwn in Table 1, but with Australia still supprting 15% mre architects per capita in 211 than it did in 21. Fr Suth Australia that grwth figure was 18%, suggesting that the state s ability t supprt architects grew strngly ver the perid. Hwever, Figure 1 als shws that, taken verall, the state has markedly fewer architects per head f ppulatin cmpared t all f Australia: rughly a quarter less. This suggests that Suth Australia (with its smaller ppulatin base and ecnmy) can supprt fewer architects. Indeed, Susan Shannn et al argue that the vlume f graduates in the state mre than exceeds the Suth Australian prfessin s capacity t absrb them. 3 The abve data supprts their argument as ver the last 2 years Suth Australian graduates have frmed 8% f the cuntry s ttal, 4 but they have graduated int a prfessin that frms barely 6% f the natin s ppulatin f architects (Table 1). Age prfile f architects Figure 2 shws the distributin f architects by age acrss the three Censuses. 25 29 3 34 4 44 45 49 5 54 55 59 6 64 65 + 21 Figure 2: Architects by age grup 26 211 The first pint t nte is that, in bth Suth Australia and all Australia, the prprtin f architects under the age f 4 increased ver the ten-year perid (depicted in yellw and ranges in Figure 2). This is nt surprising, given that the number f architecture graduates increased by 4% frm 2 t 21. 5 Hwever, the secnd pint t nte is that the prprtin f architects ver the age f 6 (in greens) als increased particularly s in Suth Australia. In 21 architects in this age grup were 8% f the Australian architect ppulatin; by 211 they cmprised 15% in Suth Australia and 13% fr the whle f the cuntry. This means that the prprtin f architects in the middle band between 4 and 6 (in blues and purples) decreased. In 21 this age grup cnstituted half the architect ppulatin; by 211 this prprtin had drpped t arund 4% (36% fr the state). The actual number f architects in this age grup has nt necessarily drpped but they make up a smaller prprtin f the architecture wrkfrce. What happens, then, t architects in the Census as they age? Architects wh were 25 29 in the 21 Census wuld appear in the 211 Census in the age grup (and in the 3 34 age grup in 26). Figure 3 shws the number f architects aligned by age grups (the slid red line indicates their age in 211, the green and blue the numbers fr that chrt in 26 and 21 respectively). Assciatin f Cnsulting Architects page 2 f 7
14 12 1 21 26 211 25 2 21 26 211 8 15 6 1 4 2 Suth Australia 5 25 29 3 34 4 44 45 49 5 54 55 59 6 64 25 29 3 34 4 44 45 49 5 54 55 59 6 64 Figure 3: Lss and gain f architects frm Census by age grup The Suth Australia figures jump arund mre than thse fr the whle cuntry (due t smaller numbers verall in the state), but bth charts shw the same pattern. Befre architects reach their 4s, numbers increase, presumably due t mature graduates entering the wrkfrce as well as internatinal arrivals. Hwever, at sme time in their 4s a number f architects stp labelling themselves as such in the Census. In 21 in Suth Australia, 76 peple aged called themselves architects; in 211 when these peple were 45 49 there were 68. While this is nt a large number, it is an 11% drp and the smallest difference. By 211, nearly a third f thse architects wh were 45 49 years ld in 21 (and 55 59 in 211) in Suth Australia have disappeared. Taken acrss the cuntry, the percentage drps were smaller than thse fr Suth Australia, but nnetheless represent a significant lss f experienced architects. Gender is a factr in the number f architects by age grup. Table 2 details the increasing number f wmen in the architecture wrkfrce ver the ten-year perid. Of nte, Suth Australia lags behind all Australia fr the percentage f wmen. Table 2: Number f architects by gender Suth Australia Year Male Female Ttal % Female Male Female Ttal % Female 21 518 114 632 18% 8,987 2,296 11,442 2% 26 569 126 695 18% 1,199 3,86 13,285 23% 211 629 185 814 23% 1,828 4,144 14,973 28% Figure 4 shws the breakdwn f the data by age grup and gender. (Figures fr all Australia have been scaled dwn t match the Suth Australia figures; the scaling pint is the number f men aged 25 29). SA Male SA Female Relative Australia Male Relative Australia Female 1 9 21 1 9 26 1 9 211 8 8 8 7 7 7 6 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 Age 25 29 3 34 4 44 45 49 5 54 55 59 6 64 65 + 25 29 3 34 4 44 45 49 5 54 55 59 6 64 65 + 25 29 3 34 4 44 45 49 5 54 55 59 6 64 65 + Figure 4: Number f architects by age grup and gender, Suth Australia and relative t all Australia Assciatin f Cnsulting Architects page 3 f 7
ACA SA STATE OF THE INDUSTRY: CENSUS REPORT Figure 4 reveals sme ntable patterns. First, in all cases wmen are cncentrated in the yunger age grups and the men mre evenly spread; wmen have an almst straight line dwnhill frm a high pint in the yungest categry f 25 29. Secnd, Suth Australia is increasingly misaligned with the rest f the cuntry fr bth men and wmen. The figures frm the 21 Census shw relatively small amunts f difference, but the 211 Census shws wide variatin between the figures fr Suth Australia and thse fr all Australia. This is particularly s fr wmen, and especially yunger wmen. Of nte, Suth Australia s Schls f Architecture have been graduating a smaller prprtin f wmen graduates recently than they did at the turn f the century: the three-year average in 2 was 39%; in 21 that 6 figure was 31%. This wuld then affect the number f yung wmen entering the architecture wrkfrce in the state. Third, despite the drp-ut rate f architects after age 45 visible in Figure 3, the actual number f lder architects has grwn ver the ten-year perid, cntributing t their increased piece f the pie, as shwn in Figure 2. Hurs f wrk Lng hurs are generally cnsidered endemic in architecture, but this is a pattern that appears t have changed ver time. Figure 5 shws the prprtin f architects wrking particular hurs. The red bands indicate a wrk week in excess f 4 hurs and the blue and green bands are fr thse wrking part-time (less than 35 hurs a week); the range bands are fr standard wrking hurs f 35 4 hurs a week. 1 15 16 24 25 34 21 26 211 4 41 48 49+ Figure 5: Hurs per week wrked, Suth Australia and all Australia There is little difference between Suth Australia and all Australia fr hurs wrked per week. Hwever, there is a strng trend visible acrss the Censuses. In 21, mre than half f all architects wrked in excess f 4 hurs a week, with mre than a third f all architects wrking in excess f 48 hurs a week (such hurs are defined as lng in emplyment literature). Hwever, by 211, this prprtin had drpped: arund 4% reprted wrking mre than 4 hurs a week, and the grup that wrked mre than 48 hurs a week had drpped t under a quarter. In additin, the prprtin f part-time wrkers increased, with 14% wrking part-time in 21 and 17% in 211. The changing demgraphic f architects is likely t be cntributing t this shift. Figure 6 shws the 7 difference between men and wmen fr hurs wrked fr all Australia. 1 15 16 24 25 34 21 26 211 4 41 48 49+ Figure 6: Hurs per week wrked, by gender, all Australia The dramatic difference between men and wmen in terms f hurs wrked is a result f the wider scietal pattern whereby mthers are much mre likely t reduce their hurs t accmmdate children. Nnetheless, the drp-ff in the prprtin f thse wrking in excess f 4 hurs a week nted in Figure 5 is still visible in Figure 6 fr bth men and wmen.. This is a significant shift fr men t wrking Assciatin f Cnsulting Architects page 4 f 7
standard rather than lng hurs given that the prprtin f men wrking part-time increased nly slightly ver the ten-year perid (11% f men wrked part-time in 21 and 13% in 211). Emplyment situatin The Census asks fr infrmatin n whether smene is an emplyee, emplyer r an independent peratr (such as sle practitiner r cntractr). In the 21 and 26 Censuses, the latter were termed wn accunt wrker. In the 211 Census, tw new terms were used: Owner managers f unincrprated enterprises, and Owner managers f incrprated enterprises. This distinctin has affected sme f the infrmatin presented in Table 3 and graphically in Figure 7. Table 3: Architects by emplyment situatin Suth Australia 21 26 211 21 26 211 Emplyee 357 399 497 6,451 7,781 9,323 Own accunt wrker 171 12 145 2,768 1,638 2,12 Emplyer 1 17 142 2,7 3,71 3,394 Emplyers Own accunt wrker 21 26 211 Emplyees Figure 7: Architects by emplyment situatin Over the ten-year perid the prprtin f thse wh were emplyees has steadily increased frm 57% t 63% f the architecture ppulatin and is similar fr bth Suth Australia and all f Australia. T an extent this wuld be expected given the increasing prprtin f yunger peple in the wrkfrce as seen in Figure 2. The figures fr emplyers and wn accunt wrkers fluctuate with a high fr the frmer and a lw fr the latter in 26 in bth Suth Australia and the whle cuntry. This, hwever, may be affected by the change in descriptin between the 26 and 211 Censuses. In 26 a sle practitiner r partnership wh emplyed just ne persn might have described themselves as emplyers, but in 211 they wuld be categrised by the legal basis f their business, which as a small business is mre likely t be an unincrprated enterprise. In that case, althugh the 21 and 26 Censuses can be cmpared, a 26 and 211 cmparisn needs t be treated with cautin. Between 21 and 26 there is a marked drp in the number f wn accunt wrkers and a large increase in emplyers. This was pssibly a respnse t the bm perid fr architecture in the middle f the 2s with practices f all sizes emplying staff. T cmpare 26 and 211, it is best t cmbine the figures fr these tw categries. In Suth Australia the numbers drp by just three peple; in all Australia the figures are very similar between the tw Census years but shw a slight grwth f 3%. It is pssible that this lacklustre grwth cmpared t the grwth in verall numbers seen in Table 1 and Figure 1 can be attributed t the dwnturn after the 28 Glbal Financial Crisis, which may have made small practices less viable and resulted in practices cnslidating. Hwever, the differing ways f categrising between these tw Censuses mean that this is a tentative cnnectin. Incme Incme infrmatin was sught fr all full-time architecture wrkers; the Census gathers this in terms f incme per week. Figure 9 gives the infrmatin fr 26 and 211 (21 is mitted because the incme ranges differ frm the later tw Censuses). Figure 9 demnstrates clearly that architects in Suth Australia n average earned less than thse in Australia taken as a whle. By 211, nearly half (47%) f Census-identified architects in Australia were earning mre than $1,6 a week (range plus red Assciatin f Cnsulting Architects page 5 f 7
segments), but in Suth Australia that prprtin was six percentage pints less at 41%. Cnversely, Australia-wide, 2% were earning less than $1, a week, but 25% were ding s in Suth Australia. 26 Incme per week Under $6 $6 $799 $8 $999 $1, $1,299 $1,3 $1,599 $1,6 $1,999 $2, + 211 Figure 9: Architects by incme, Suth Australia and all Australia Incme, f curse, varies with age. Figure 1 shws the breakdwn by age fr 211 (incme brackets have been amalgamated because small numbers in a categry can cause distrtins). 1% Suth Australia 1% 9% 9% 8% 8% 7% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% $2, plus $1,3 $1,999 $8 $1,299 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% Under $8 2% 1% 1% % % Figure 1: Prprtin f age grup in earnings brackets by age, Suth Australia and all Australia 211 Australia-wide, incme increases with age, peaking in the 45 59 age bands. In Suth Australia, there is much mre fluctuatin and the tp red band never exceeds that f all Australia, except fr thse wh are in the ver 65 years band. Hwever, there are just 54 peple in this age grup in the state cmpared with 849 in the cuntry as a whle, s with each persn representing nearly 2% f the chrt, it is easy fr the prprtinal figure t shift dramatically. Summary This reprt has explred what might be read frm data abut architects frm three Censuses fr Suth Australia cmpared t the rest f Australia. Data such as this helps articulate and indicate brad patterns. The first f these patterns is that architects are increasing their presence in the cmmunity in relative numbers. Curiusly, as a grup, architects are getting bth lder and yunger, with mid-career/middleaged architects nt keeping pace prprtinally with the ther age grups. The increasing number f graduates can perhaps explain the grwth in the number f yunger architects. The reasns fr the increasing prprtin f lder architects are less clear, especially as the data als recrds the departure f lder architects. Hwever, since the 197s there have been increasing numbers f architects verall. Architects are increasingly emplyees and emplyers rather than independent wrkers. This may reflect the increasing cmplexity f buildings and the need fr teams t wrk n them, althugh the data is a little t variable because the methd fr categrising emplyers and independent wrkers in the Census has recently changed. Of interest, fewer architects seem t be wrking lng hurs than in the past. While this might suggest thse in the prfessin are mving twards a better wrk life balance, the still weak representatin f wmen in the prfessin might indicate therwise. This was particularly s fr Suth Assciatin f Cnsulting Architects page 6 f 7
Australia, which lags behind the rest f the cuntry in terms f the representatin f wmen architects. The slwing dwn f the pace f wrk in the wake f the 28 financial crisis may be anther pssible explanatin fr this drp in hurs wrked. The Census data strngly indicates that architecture is very dependent n the ecnmy. Suth Australia is ne f the smaller states in the natin and cnsequently has a smaller number f architects (just 6% f the ttal). Hwever, even n a per capita basis, its number f architects is less than Australia as a whle. This may suggest that the state s ecnmy is nt able t supprt architecture firms t the same extent as ther states. This interpretatin is als supprted by the lwer incme levels f architects in Suth Australia. Overall, Suth Australia s architecture prfessin is grwing but its psitin is nt as strng as sme f the larger states. NOTES 1 Indeed, each Census includes a very small number f 15 19 year lds wh identify themselves as architects at that age they are unlikely t meet any acceptable ntin f an architect. Hwever, this number f peple is very small. 2 Rbert Gutman, Architectural Practice: A Critical View (Princetn, NJ: Princetn Architectural Press, 1988), 23; Annmarie Adams and Peta Tancred, Designing Wmen: Gender and the Architectural Prfessin (Trnt: University f Trnt Press, 2), 3. 3 Susan Shannn, Nami Webb, Yishu Zeng and Jenna Hlder, Why Architecture Graduates D Nt Register as Architects: A Quantitative and Qualitative Suth Australian Study 1999 211, Creative Educatin 5 (214), http://www.scirp.rg/jurnal/ce. 4 Figures frm analysis by authr f data frm Architecture Schls f Australasia Handbk (Bartn, ACT: Australian Institute f Architects Natinal Office), 1993 215 editins. 5 There were 74 graduates in 2 and 975 in 21. Numbers frm Architecture Schls f Australasia Handbk, 21 and 212 editins. 6 Figures frm analysis by authr f data frm Architecture Schls f Australasia Handbk, 2 215 editins. 7 Suth Australia is nt shwn because there is a small number f wmen in the state, which tends t distrt the numbers. Assciatin f Cnsulting Architects page 7 f 7