OSCA 243532

Mechanical Engineer

Overview

  • Employed persons

    22,600

  • Employment status

    89.9% Full time

    10.1% Part time

  • Median age

    37 years

  • Employment by sex

    6.7% Female

    93.3% Male

    Almost completely male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    0.6%

  • Main employing industry

    Manufacturing

Indicator Mechanical Engineer Total employment
Employed persons 22,600 12,049,400
Median age 37 years 40 years
Full-time share 89.9% 64.2%
Part-time share 10.1% 35.8%
Female employment share 6.7% 48.5%
Male employment share 93.3% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Almost completely male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 0.6% 2.2%
Main employing industry Manufacturing Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Mechanical Engineers plan, design, develop, test and oversee the manufacturing, operation, maintenance and installation of mechanical systems.

What the occupation involves

  • Designs mechanical equipment, machines, tools and components for agricultural, mining, construction, manufacturing and other industrial purposes
  • Plans and designs the layout, flow and processes of mechanical and process plants
  • Oversees the assembly, erection and commissioning of mechanical and process plant and installations
  • Studies and analyses mechanical systems and components to evaluate their performance
  • Inspects, maintains and tests mechanical equipment, and investigates mechanical failures or unexpected maintenance issues

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Building Services Engineer
  • Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Engineer
  • Hydraulic Engineer (Mechanical)

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

    Mechanical Engineer Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Manufacturing 26.0% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 25.9% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Mining 10.3% Construction 8.9%
    Construction 7.6% Education and Training 8.8%
    Wholesale Trade 4.0% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 3.8% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 3.3% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 2.9% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Other Services 2.7% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Retail Trade 1.0% 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

      26.1%

    • Victoria

      28.0%

    • Queensland

      18.5%

    • South Australia

      6.4%

    • Tasmania

      1.1%

    • Northern Territory

      0.5%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      0.9%

    Mechanical Engineer Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 5,900 26.1% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 6,300 28.0% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 4,200 18.5% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 1,400 6.4% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 4,200 18.6% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 240 1.1% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 110 0.5% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 210 0.9% 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

    Mechanical Engineer

    Total employment

    Age group Mechanical Engineer Total employment
    15–24 years 6.7% 14.3%
    25–34 years 34.7% 22.7%
    35–44 years 25.8% 22.3%
    45–54 years 16.8% 20.4%
    55–64 years 11.4% 15.3%
    65–74 years 3.9% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.7% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Mechanical Engineer Total employment
    Female 6.7% 48.5%
    Male 93.3% 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

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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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