OSCA 281131

Barrister

Overview

  • Employed persons

    5,600

  • Employment status

    76.6% Full time

    23.4% Part time

  • Median age

    49 years

  • Employment by sex

    29.4% Female

    70.6% Male

    Moderately male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    0.7%

  • Main employing industry

    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Indicator Barrister Total employment
Employed persons 5,600 12,049,400
Median age 49 years 40 years
Full-time share 76.6% 64.2%
Part-time share 23.4% 35.8%
Female employment share 29.4% 48.5%
Male employment share 70.6% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 0.7% 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

Barristers plead cases before civil, criminal and industrial courts and other tribunals.

What the occupation involves

  • Receives briefs and verbal instructions concerning cases from solicitors, other specialist legal professionals, and clients
  • Provides advice and written opinions on points of law
  • Confers with clients and witnesses in preparation for court proceedings
  • Draws up pleadings, affidavits and other court documents
  • Researches statutes and previous court decisions relevant to cases
  • Outlines the facts to the court, calls and questions witnesses, and makes addresses to the court to argue a client's case
  • May draw up or settle documents

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • King's Counsel
  • Senior Counsel

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 is required.

OSCA structure

Professionals (2)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Barrister Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 89.1% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 7.3% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Accommodation and Food Services 1.8% Construction 8.9%
    Manufacturing 0.3% Education and Training 8.8%
    Financial and Insurance Services 0.2% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Retail Trade 0.2% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Construction 0.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Arts and Recreation Services <0.1% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Health Care and Social Assistance <0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Other Services <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

      36.3%

    • Victoria

      33.9%

    • Queensland

      15.8%

    • South Australia

      5.1%

    • Tasmania

      1.1%

    • Northern Territory

      0.7%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.5%

    Barrister Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 2,000 36.3% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 1,900 33.9% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 880 15.8% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 280 5.1% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 310 5.6% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 60 1.1% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 40 0.7% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 80 1.5% 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

    Barrister

    Total employment

    Age group Barrister Total employment
    15–24 years 1.6% 14.3%
    25–34 years 13.0% 22.7%
    35–44 years 25.6% 22.3%
    45–54 years 23.9% 20.4%
    55–64 years 19.6% 15.3%
    65–74 years 14.4% 4.3%
    75 years and over 1.9% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Barrister Total employment
    Female 29.4% 48.5%
    Male 70.6% 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