OSCA 2646

Surgeons

Overview

  • Employed persons

    6,300

  • Employment status

    84.8% Full time

    15.2% Part time

  • Median age

    46 years

  • Employment by sex

    19.8% Female

    80.2% Male

    Highly male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    0.4%

  • Main employing industry

    Health Care and Social Assistance

Indicator Surgeons Total employment
Employed persons 6,300 12,049,400
Median age 46 years 40 years
Full-time share 84.8% 64.2%
Part-time share 15.2% 35.8%
Female employment share 19.8% 48.5%
Male employment share 80.2% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 0.4% 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

Surgeons perform surgery to treat and prevent diseases and illnesses, correct deformities, repair injuries, and improve human functioning and appearance.

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

    Surgeons Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Health Care and Social Assistance 97.1% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 0.4% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.4% Construction 8.9%
    Wholesale Trade 0.4% Education and Training 8.8%
    Other Services 0.3% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Education and Training 0.2% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Manufacturing 0.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Accommodation and Food Services <0.1% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.0% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 0.0% 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

      31.3%

    • Victoria

      26.6%

    • Queensland

      20.4%

    • South Australia

      7.8%

    • Tasmania

      2.0%

    • Northern Territory

      0.7%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.8%

    Surgeons Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 2,000 31.3% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 1,700 26.6% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 1,300 20.4% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 490 7.8% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 590 9.5% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 130 2.0% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 40 0.7% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 110 1.8% 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

    Surgeons

    Total employment

    Age group Surgeons Total employment
    15–24 years 0.3% 14.3%
    25–34 years 15.8% 22.7%
    35–44 years 29.2% 22.3%
    45–54 years 27.3% 20.4%
    55–64 years 17.2% 15.3%
    65–74 years 7.6% 4.3%
    75 years and over 2.6% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Surgeons Total employment
    Female 19.8% 48.5%
    Male 80.2% 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