OSCA 331133

Welder (First Class)

Overview

  • Employed persons

    19,900

  • Employment status

    86.6% Full time

    13.4% Part time

  • Median age

    42 years

  • Employment by sex

    1.4% Female

    98.7% Male

    Almost completely male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    3.0%

  • Main employing industry

    Manufacturing

Indicator Welder (First Class) Total employment
Employed persons 19,900 12,049,400
Median age 42 years 40 years
Full-time share 86.6% 64.2%
Part-time share 13.4% 35.8%
Female employment share 1.4% 48.5%
Male employment share 98.7% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Almost completely male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 3.0% 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

Welders (First Class) fabricate and repair metal products using various welding techniques.

What the occupation involves

  • Interprets engineering drawings and specifications to determine welding requirements
  • Applies appropriate welding techniques to join metal sections
  • Monitors and adjusts welding parameters to ensure quality and integrity of welds
  • Cleans welds by filing, chiselling and grinding
  • Inspects and tests welded joints for defects and compliance with specifications

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Special Class Welder

Note: Specialisations are examples of roles in within this occupation and are not separate OSCA occupations.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 3
equivalent to a mid-level Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification (Certificate IV or Certificate III with at least 2 years’ on-the-job training).

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

No licensing or registration requirements are listed for this occupation.

OSCA structure

Technicians and Trades Workers (3)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Welder (First Class) Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Manufacturing 45.2% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Construction 19.5% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Mining 3.5% Construction 8.9%
    Other Services 3.1% Education and Training 8.8%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 2.3% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 2.1% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 2.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Wholesale Trade 1.4% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 1.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.6% 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

      24.0%

    • Victoria

      30.3%

    • Queensland

      16.9%

    • South Australia

      7.6%

    • Tasmania

      3.2%

    • Northern Territory

      0.7%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      0.4%

    Welder (First Class) Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 4,800 24.0% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 6,000 30.3% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 3,400 16.9% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 1,500 7.6% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 3,400 16.9% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 630 3.2% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 130 0.7% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 80 0.4% 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

    Welder (First Class)

    Total employment

    Age group Welder (First Class) Total employment
    15–24 years 12.5% 14.3%
    25–34 years 20.8% 22.7%
    35–44 years 22.9% 22.3%
    45–54 years 23.7% 20.4%
    55–64 years 16.3% 15.3%
    65–74 years 3.5% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.3% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Welder (First Class) Total employment
    Female 1.4% 48.5%
    Male 98.7% 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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