OSCA 461937

Religious Assistant

Overview

  • Employed persons

    2,300

  • Employment status

    31.1% Full time

    69.1% Part time

  • Median age

    50 years

  • Employment by sex

    68.0% Female

    32.0% Male

    Moderately female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    1.1%

  • Main employing industry

    Other Services

Indicator Religious Assistant Total employment
Employed persons 2,300 12,049,400
Median age 50 years 40 years
Full-time share 31.1% 64.2%
Part-time share 69.1% 35.8%
Female employment share 68.0% 48.5%
Male employment share 32.0% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 1.1% 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

Religious Assistants support Religious Leaders or a religious community in performing a variety of religious functions associated with religious practice, including worship, spiritual guidance, pastoral care and teaching.

What the occupation involves

  • Assists Religious Leaders in conducting religious ceremonies and rituals
  • Prepares and delivers religious teachings and sermons
  • Provides pastoral care, spiritual guidance and support to community members
  • Organises religious events and activities
  • Participates in community outreach programs
  • Assists with day-to-day running and oversees facilities, including places of worship and other related spaces

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Pastoral Worker

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

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 4
equivalent to a lower‑level Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification (Certificate II or III).

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

    Religious Assistant Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Other Services 51.3% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 29.9% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Education and Training 12.7% Construction 8.9%
    Accommodation and Food Services 1.5% Education and Training 8.8%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.8% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 0.8% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Financial and Insurance Services 0.3% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Manufacturing 0.3% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 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

      35.4%

    • Victoria

      23.3%

    • Queensland

      15.5%

    • South Australia

      11.5%

    • Tasmania

      1.7%

    • Northern Territory

      0.6%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      2.9%

    Religious Assistant Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 830 35.4% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 550 23.3% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 370 15.5% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 270 11.5% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 210 8.9% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 40 1.7% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 10 0.6% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 70 2.9% 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

    Religious Assistant

    Total employment

    Age group Religious Assistant Total employment
    15–24 years 9.8% 14.3%
    25–34 years 15.4% 22.7%
    35–44 years 15.3% 22.3%
    45–54 years 18.9% 20.4%
    55–64 years 24.7% 15.3%
    65–74 years 13.0% 4.3%
    75 years and over 3.0% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Religious Assistant Total employment
    Female 68.0% 48.5%
    Male 32.0% 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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