OSCA 241932

Quantity Surveyor

Overview

  • Employed persons

    4,000

  • Employment status

    87.3% Full time

    12.7% Part time

  • Median age

    39 years

  • Employment by sex

    22.9% Female

    77.1% Male

    Highly male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    0.4%

  • Main employing industry

    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Indicator Quantity Surveyor Total employment
Employed persons 4,000 12,049,400
Median age 39 years 40 years
Full-time share 87.3% 64.2%
Part-time share 12.7% 35.8%
Female employment share 22.9% 48.5%
Male employment share 77.1% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly 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

Quantity Surveyors determine, analyse and manage the costs associated with construction projects, including the feasibility, design, construction and operation stages.

What the occupation involves

  • Prepares cost estimates for construction projects based on varying levels of design
  • Prepares detailed cost plans for budgetary control, including bills of quantities, and manages progress payments
  • Monitors the project through the construction phases and adjusts cost based on variations
  • Prepares tender documents and evaluates contractor bids
  • Prepares tax depreciation reports
  • Prepares replacement cost assessments for insurance purposes
  • Engages with key stakeholders, including asset owners, financiers, Architects, builders, engineers and developers

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Cost Engineer
  • Cost Manager
  • Cost Planner
  • Estimating Manager

Note: Specialisations are examples of roles in within this occupation and are not separate OSCA occupations.

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

Registration or licensing may be required.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Quantity Surveyor Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 43.8% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Construction 42.4% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Manufacturing 2.8% Construction 8.9%
    Mining 1.5% Education and Training 8.8%
    Financial and Insurance Services 1.3% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Public Administration and Safety 1.1% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services 1.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 0.7% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Wholesale Trade 0.6% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Other Services 0.5% 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

      32.5%

    • Victoria

      24.2%

    • Queensland

      22.2%

    • South Australia

      5.3%

    • Tasmania

      0.8%

    • Northern Territory

      0.8%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      2.2%

    Quantity Surveyor Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 1,300 32.5% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 980 24.2% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 900 22.2% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 220 5.3% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 480 11.9% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 30 0.8% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 30 0.8% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 90 2.2% 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

    Quantity Surveyor

    Total employment

    Age group Quantity Surveyor Total employment
    15–24 years 6.8% 14.3%
    25–34 years 30.8% 22.7%
    35–44 years 25.8% 22.3%
    45–54 years 18.5% 20.4%
    55–64 years 12.3% 15.3%
    65–74 years 4.8% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.6% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Quantity Surveyor Total employment
    Female 22.9% 48.5%
    Male 77.1% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    On this page

      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

      Download

      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.

      Find out more

      What is OSCA   OSCA content updates