OSCA 411531

Interpreter

Overview

  • Employed persons

    3,900

  • Employment status

    22.1% Full time

    77.7% Part time

  • Median age

    52 years

  • Employment by sex

    71.6% Female

    28.5% Male

    Moderately female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    1.6%

  • Main employing industry

    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Indicator Interpreter Total employment
Employed persons 3,900 12,049,400
Median age 52 years 40 years
Full-time share 22.1% 64.2%
Part-time share 77.7% 35.8%
Female employment share 71.6% 48.5%
Male employment share 28.5% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 1.6% 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

Interpreters transfer a spoken or signed language into another spoken or signed language, usually within a limited time frame, in the physical, visual or aural presence of the participants requiring the transfer.

What the occupation involves

  • Prepares for assignments by confirming terminology and undertaking domain specific research to comprehend the subject matter
  • Provides simultaneous and consecutive verbal or signed renditions of speeches into another language
  • Renders the meaning and feeling of what is spoken or signed into another language in the appropriate register and style
  • Transfers a written message and its intent from one language into a spoken or signed message in another language

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Auslan Interpreter

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

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 2
equivalent to a Diploma or Advanced Diploma level qualification.

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

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Interpreter Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 54.9% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 20.9% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Education and Training 9.7% Construction 8.9%
    Public Administration and Safety 8.4% Education and Training 8.8%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.9% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Arts and Recreation Services 0.6% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Other Services 0.6% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Financial and Insurance Services <0.1% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Retail Trade <0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing <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

      28.7%

    • Victoria

      32.0%

    • Queensland

      17.5%

    • South Australia

      8.2%

    • Tasmania

      1.9%

    • Northern Territory

      1.7%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      0.9%

    Interpreter Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 1,100 28.7% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 1,300 32.0% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 680 17.5% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 320 8.2% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 340 8.7% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 80 1.9% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 70 1.7% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 40 0.9% 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

    Interpreter

    Total employment

    Age group Interpreter Total employment
    15–24 years 2.8% 14.3%
    25–34 years 11.8% 22.7%
    35–44 years 19.1% 22.3%
    45–54 years 21.8% 20.4%
    55–64 years 24.6% 15.3%
    65–74 years 16.4% 4.3%
    75 years and over 3.8% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Interpreter Total employment
    Female 71.6% 48.5%
    Male 28.5% 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.

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