OSCA 461232

Make-up Artist

Overview

  • Employed persons

    2,200

  • Employment status

    22.1% Full time

    78.2% Part time

  • Median age

    31 years

  • Employment by sex

    96.3% Female

    3.7% Male

    Almost completely female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    1.2%

  • Main employing industry

    Other Services

Indicator Make-up Artist Total employment
Employed persons 2,200 12,049,400
Median age 31 years 40 years
Full-time share 22.1% 64.2%
Part-time share 78.2% 35.8%
Female employment share 96.3% 48.5%
Male employment share 3.7% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Almost completely female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 1.2% 2.2%
Main employing industry Other Services Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Make-up Artists design and apply make-up products and technique to transform or enhance the features of individuals.

What the occupation involves

  • Designs make-up looks that align with clients' requests, events or themes
  • Prepares clients' skin by cleansing, moisturising and using appropriate primers
  • Chooses make-up shades that complement clients' skin tone, eye colour and outfits
  • Applies make-up products such as foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick
  • May create special effects or creative designs using prosthetics, scars and other effects to transform an actor into a character
  • May perform basic hairstyling, such as arranging hair for a specific look, or building, styling and fitting wigs

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Make-up Artist (Performing Arts)

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

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Make-up Artist Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Other Services 48.8% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Retail Trade 24.3% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Information Media and Telecommunications 8.8% Construction 8.9%
    Wholesale Trade 5.3% Education and Training 8.8%
    Arts and Recreation Services 5.0% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 1.5% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Education and Training 1.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.3% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Manufacturing 0.3% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Accommodation and Food Services 0.0% 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

      29.9%

    • Victoria

      24.2%

    • Queensland

      23.2%

    • South Australia

      7.9%

    • Tasmania

      0.8%

    • Northern Territory

      0.6%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.5%

    Make-up Artist Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 640 29.9% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 520 24.2% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 500 23.2% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 170 7.9% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 250 11.7% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 20 0.8% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 10 0.6% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 30 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

    Make-up Artist

    Total employment

    Age group Make-up Artist Total employment
    15–24 years 21.7% 14.3%
    25–34 years 39.5% 22.7%
    35–44 years 25.8% 22.3%
    45–54 years 9.2% 20.4%
    55–64 years 3.3% 15.3%
    65–74 years 0.4% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.0% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Make-up Artist Total employment
    Female 96.3% 48.5%
    Male 3.7% 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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