OSCA 461731

Flight Attendant

Overview

  • Employed persons

    6,200

  • Employment status

    36.6% Full time

    63.5% Part time

  • Median age

    39 years

  • Employment by sex

    77.1% Female

    22.9% Male

    Highly female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    1.9%

  • Main employing industry

    Transport, Postal and Warehousing

Indicator Flight Attendant Total employment
Employed persons 6,200 12,049,400
Median age 39 years 40 years
Full-time share 36.6% 64.2%
Part-time share 63.5% 35.8%
Female employment share 77.1% 48.5%
Male employment share 22.9% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 1.9% 2.2%
Main employing industry Transport, Postal and Warehousing Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Flight Attendants provide services for the safety and comfort of aircraft passengers.

What the occupation involves

  • Assists passengers with boarding and disembarking the aircraft, and provides assistance and support to passengers with specific needs or medical conditions
  • Conducts pre-flight safety briefings and demonstrates the use of safety equipment while ensuring passengers comply with safety regulations and procedures during the flight
  • Serves meals, beverages and snacks to passengers during the flight
  • Performs emergency procedures in response to in-flight emergencies or equipment malfunctions of the aeroplane
  • Makes announcements during the flight and informs passengers about safety procedures and protocols
  • Performs safety checks and maintains cleanliness of the aircraft cabin
  • Responds to passenger enquiries and resolves any issues or complaints

Common occupation titles

  • Cabin Crew

Specialisations

  • Cabin Supervisor (Aircraft)
  • Crew Attendant (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

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Flight Attendant Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 95.3% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 1.6% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Administrative and Support Services 1.1% Construction 8.9%
    Accommodation and Food Services 0.4% Education and Training 8.8%
    Manufacturing 0.2% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 0.1% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Arts and Recreation Services <0.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Education and Training <0.1% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Retail Trade <0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 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

      29.8%

    • Victoria

      21.5%

    • Queensland

      24.8%

    • South Australia

      6.9%

    • Tasmania

      0.5%

    • Northern Territory

      0.8%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      0.9%

    Flight Attendant Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 1,900 29.8% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 1,300 21.5% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 1,500 24.8% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 430 6.9% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 930 15.0% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 30 0.5% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 50 0.8% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 60 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

    Flight Attendant

    Total employment

    Age group Flight Attendant Total employment
    15–24 years 12.3% 14.3%
    25–34 years 27.6% 22.7%
    35–44 years 21.8% 22.3%
    45–54 years 25.6% 20.4%
    55–64 years 11.9% 15.3%
    65–74 years 0.7% 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 Flight Attendant Total employment
    Female 77.1% 48.5%
    Male 22.9% 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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