OSCA 223234

Data Scientist

Overview

  • Employed persons

    3,400

  • Employment status

    87.9% Full time

    12.1% Part time

  • Median age

    34 years

  • Employment by sex

    27.3% Female

    72.7% Male

    Moderately male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    0.4%

  • Main employing industry

    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Indicator Data Scientist Total employment
Employed persons 3,400 12,049,400
Median age 34 years 40 years
Full-time share 87.9% 64.2%
Part-time share 12.1% 35.8%
Female employment share 27.3% 48.5%
Male employment share 72.7% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 0.4% 2.2%
Main employing industry Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Data Scientists apply analytical techniques and scientific procedures to datasets by creating algorithms and using statistical models. They build and deploy analytics frameworks, such as machine learning, to obtain information for strategic planning and decision-making.

What the occupation involves

  • Prepares data for analysis, cleans data, and recognises and overcomes data anomalies
  • Applies analytics techniques that incorporate mathematical, statistical, programming and database skills
  • Builds and deploys machine learning and artificial intelligence frameworks
  • Applies models to data, and evaluates and adjusts models to discover trends and extract insights
  • Presents data-driven findings and outcomes to key decision-makers and stakeholders
  • Provides strategic input and innovation to organisational data science initiatives

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

No specialisations are listed for this occupation.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 1
equivalent to a university level qualification (Bachelor degree or higher).

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

Licensing or registration requirements

No licensing or registration requirements are listed for this occupation.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Data Scientist Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 33.0% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Financial and Insurance Services 16.0% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Public Administration and Safety 11.4% Construction 8.9%
    Education and Training 6.4% Education and Training 8.8%
    Information Media and Telecommunications 4.9% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Retail Trade 4.2% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Mining 3.4% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 3.0% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 2.7% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Arts and Recreation Services 2.0% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      35.5%

    • Victoria

      32.2%

    • Queensland

      12.0%

    • South Australia

      4.0%

    • Tasmania

      1.0%

    • Northern Territory

      0.4%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      6.4%

    Data Scientist Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 1,200 35.5% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 1,100 32.2% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 420 12.0% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 140 4.0% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 290 8.4% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 40 1.0% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 10 0.4% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 220 6.4% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Data Scientist

    Total employment

    Age group Data Scientist Total employment
    15–24 years 7.3% 14.3%
    25–34 years 43.1% 22.7%
    35–44 years 34.6% 22.3%
    45–54 years 10.7% 20.4%
    55–64 years 3.6% 15.3%
    65–74 years 0.9% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.0% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Data Scientist Total employment
    Female 27.3% 48.5%
    Male 72.7% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

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      OSCA occupation profiles data

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      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

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      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

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