OSCA 4512

Emergency Services Officers and Firefighters

Overview

  • Employed persons

    15,100

  • Employment status

    92.8% Full time

    7.2% Part time

  • Median age

    43 years

  • Employment by sex

    10.3% Female

    89.7% Male

    Highly male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    3.4%

  • Main employing industry

    Public Administration and Safety

Indicator Emergency Services Officers and Firefighters Total employment
Employed persons 15,100 12,049,400
Median age 43 years 40 years
Full-time share 92.8% 64.2%
Part-time share 7.2% 35.8%
Female employment share 10.3% 48.5%
Male employment share 89.7% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 3.4% 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

Emergency Services Officers and Firefighters respond to fire alarms and emergency calls, control and extinguish fires and attend the scene of emergencies in order to minimise risk to community safety and security.

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.

OSCA structure

Community and Personal Service Workers (4)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Emergency Services Officers and Firefighters Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Public Administration and Safety 81.9% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Mining 3.9% Construction 8.9%
    Construction 1.9% Education and Training 8.8%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 1.4% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Arts and Recreation Services 1.3% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 0.8% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 0.6% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Education and Training 0.5% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Manufacturing 0.5% 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

      29.5%

    • Victoria

      26.9%

    • Queensland

      18.4%

    • South Australia

      6.8%

    • Tasmania

      2.7%

    • Northern Territory

      1.9%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.9%

    Emergency Services Officers and Firefighters Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 4,500 29.5% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 4,100 26.9% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 2,800 18.4% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 1,000 6.8% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 1,800 11.8% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 420 2.7% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 290 1.9% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 280 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

    Emergency Services Officers and Firefighters

    Total employment

    Age group Emergency Services Officers and Firefighters Total employment
    15–24 years 2.7% 14.3%
    25–34 years 22.1% 22.7%
    35–44 years 28.7% 22.3%
    45–54 years 26.3% 20.4%
    55–64 years 18.5% 15.3%
    65–74 years 1.6% 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 Emergency Services Officers and Firefighters Total employment
    Female 10.3% 48.5%
    Male 89.7% 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

      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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