OSCA 2643

Physicians

Overview

  • Employed persons

    10,600

  • Employment status

    76.0% Full time

    23.9% Part time

  • Median age

    43 years

  • Employment by sex

    46.9% Female

    53.1% Male

    Gender balanced

  • Indigenous employment share

    0.2%

  • Main employing industry

    Health Care and Social Assistance

Indicator Physicians Total employment
Employed persons 10,600 12,049,400
Median age 43 years 40 years
Full-time share 76.0% 64.2%
Part-time share 23.9% 35.8%
Female employment share 46.9% 48.5%
Male employment share 53.1% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Gender balanced Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 0.2% 2.2%
Main employing industry Health Care and Social Assistance Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Physicians investigate, diagnose and treat complex medical conditions chiefly concerning internal human disorders and diseases using specialist testing, diagnostic and medical techniques, and provide medical input into managing public health issues and infectious disease outbreaks and control measures.

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.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Physicians Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Health Care and Social Assistance 96.9% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.9% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Education and Training 0.5% Construction 8.9%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 0.4% Education and Training 8.8%
    Other Services 0.3% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Wholesale Trade 0.2% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Accommodation and Food Services <0.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Administrative and Support Services <0.1% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Financial and Insurance Services <0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Manufacturing <0.1% 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

      31.2%

    • Victoria

      27.7%

    • Queensland

      19.0%

    • South Australia

      7.6%

    • Tasmania

      2.3%

    • Northern Territory

      1.1%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      2.0%

    Physicians Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 3,300 31.2% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 2,900 27.7% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 2,000 19.0% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 810 7.6% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 970 9.1% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 250 2.3% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 120 1.1% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 220 2.0% 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

    Physicians

    Total employment

    Age group Physicians Total employment
    15–24 years 0.3% 14.3%
    25–34 years 20.4% 22.7%
    35–44 years 33.6% 22.3%
    45–54 years 23.6% 20.4%
    55–64 years 14.3% 15.3%
    65–74 years 6.5% 4.3%
    75 years and over 1.4% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Physicians Total employment
    Female 46.9% 48.5%
    Male 53.1% 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

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