OSCA 451131

Defence Force Member - Other Ranks

Overview

  • Employed persons

    17,800

  • Employment status

    92.3% Full time

    7.8% Part time

  • Median age

    27 years

  • Employment by sex

    17.5% Female

    82.5% Male

    Highly male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    5.2%

  • Main employing industry

    Public Administration and Safety

Indicator Defence Force Member - Other Ranks Total employment
Employed persons 17,800 12,049,400
Median age 27 years 40 years
Full-time share 92.3% 64.2%
Part-time share 7.8% 35.8%
Female employment share 17.5% 48.5%
Male employment share 82.5% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 5.2% 2.2%
Main employing industry Public Administration and Safety Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Defence Force Member - Other Ranks provide specialised military services to the Australian Defence Force.

What the occupation involves

  • Guards airfields and other Defence Force bases as directed by superiors
  • Serves as an infantry soldier
  • Erects bridges, builds field defences, constructs temporary roads, clears minefields, repairs airfields, and demolishes targets using explosives
  • Crews armoured fighting vehicles
  • Operates artillery, ground and surface-based defence systems, shipboard weapons, and other advanced specialist military weapons and equipment
  • Provides firepower and ground-based air defence
  • Establishes and maintains command, control and communications equipment and facilities
  • Conducts surveillance, reconnaissance and boarding operations
  • Maintains personal arms and ammunition
  • Provides support in combat and non-combat operations such as peacekeeping and disaster recovery

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Acoustic Warfare Analyst (Navy)
  • Aircrewman (Navy)
  • Boatswains Mate (Navy)
  • Combat Systems Operator (Navy)
  • Naval Police Coxswain (Navy)
  • Air Dispatcher (Army)
  • Combat Engineer (Army)
  • Commando (Army)
  • Marine Specialist (Army)
  • Operator Electronic Warfare (Army)
  • Rifleman (Army)
  • Aircraft Life Support Fitter (Air Force)
  • Airfield Defence Guard (Air Force)
  • Air Surveillance Operator (Air Force)

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

Community and Personal Service Workers (4)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Defence Force Member - Other Ranks Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Public Administration and Safety 97.2% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Manufacturing 0.3% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 0.3% Construction 8.9%
    Education and Training 0.2% Education and Training 8.8%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 0.2% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Accommodation and Food Services <0.1% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Administrative and Support Services <0.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing <0.1% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Construction <0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Health Care and Social Assistance <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

      29.1%

    • Victoria

      10.3%

    • Queensland

      32.2%

    • South Australia

      7.6%

    • Tasmania

      0.5%

    • Northern Territory

      7.5%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      5.0%

    Defence Force Member - Other Ranks Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 5,200 29.1% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 1,800 10.3% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 5,700 32.2% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 1,400 7.6% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 1,400 7.8% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 90 0.5% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 1,300 7.5% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 880 5.0% 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

    Defence Force Member - Other Ranks

    Total employment

    Age group Defence Force Member - Other Ranks Total employment
    15–24 years 36.1% 14.3%
    25–34 years 37.3% 22.7%
    35–44 years 15.4% 22.3%
    45–54 years 8.2% 20.4%
    55–64 years 2.8% 15.3%
    65–74 years 0.2% 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 Defence Force Member - Other Ranks Total employment
    Female 17.5% 48.5%
    Male 82.5% 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

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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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