OSCA 2651

Midwives

Overview

  • Employed persons

    17,800

  • Employment status

    37.0% Full time

    63.0% Part time

  • Median age

    41 years

  • Employment by sex

    99.2% Female

    0.8% Male

    Almost completely female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    1.5%

  • Main employing industry

    Health Care and Social Assistance

Indicator Midwives Total employment
Employed persons 17,800 12,049,400
Median age 41 years 40 years
Full-time share 37.0% 64.2%
Part-time share 63.0% 35.8%
Female employment share 99.2% 48.5%
Male employment share 0.8% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Almost completely female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 1.5% 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

Midwives provide care and advice to women during pregnancy, labour and childbirth, and postnatal care for women and babies in a range of settings such as the home, community, hospitals, clinics and health units.

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

Professionals (2)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Midwives Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Health Care and Social Assistance 97.2% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 1.0% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.5% Construction 8.9%
    Education and Training 0.4% Education and Training 8.8%
    Financial and Insurance Services 0.1% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing <0.1% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Manufacturing <0.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Other Services <0.1% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services <0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Retail Trade <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

      27.1%

    • Victoria

      26.3%

    • Queensland

      21.3%

    • South Australia

      8.4%

    • Tasmania

      2.2%

    • Northern Territory

      1.7%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.9%

    Midwives Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 4,800 27.1% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 4,700 26.3% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 3,800 21.3% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 1,500 8.4% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 2,000 11.0% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 390 2.2% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 300 1.7% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 340 1.9% 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

    Midwives

    Total employment

    Age group Midwives Total employment
    15–24 years 6.1% 14.3%
    25–34 years 28.6% 22.7%
    35–44 years 21.3% 22.3%
    45–54 years 19.2% 20.4%
    55–64 years 20.3% 15.3%
    65–74 years 4.3% 4.3%
    75 years and over <0.1% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Midwives Total employment
    Female 99.2% 48.5%
    Male 0.8% 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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