OSCA 471231

Barista

Overview

  • Employed persons

    47,400

  • Employment status

    21.7% Full time

    78.3% Part time

  • Median age

    24 years

  • Employment by sex

    73.9% Female

    26.1% Male

    Moderately female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    2.4%

  • Main employing industry

    Accommodation and Food Services

Indicator Barista Total employment
Employed persons 47,400 12,049,400
Median age 24 years 40 years
Full-time share 21.7% 64.2%
Part-time share 78.3% 35.8%
Female employment share 73.9% 48.5%
Male employment share 26.1% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 2.4% 2.2%
Main employing industry Accommodation and Food Services Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Baristas prepare and serve espresso coffee and other hot beverages to patrons in a cafe, coffee shop, restaurant or dining establishment.

What the occupation involves

  • Operates coffee machines and other equipment to brew and prepare beverages
  • Grinds coffee beans and measures out appropriate amounts for each order
  • Froths milk and adds it to coffee to create specialty drinks
  • Cleans and maintains coffee machines, equipment and work areas
  • Stocks and replenishes coffee beans, milk options and other supplies, such as flavoured syrups, drinking chocolate or chai powder
  • Provides information and recommendations to customers on coffee and beverage options

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

No specialisations are listed for this occupation.

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

    Barista Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Accommodation and Food Services 83.2% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Retail Trade 5.5% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Manufacturing 4.3% Construction 8.9%
    Arts and Recreation Services 1.0% Education and Training 8.8%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 1.0% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Wholesale Trade 0.5% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Education and Training 0.4% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Other Services 0.3% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.2% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 0.2% 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

      28.0%

    • Victoria

      24.5%

    • Queensland

      24.3%

    • South Australia

      6.0%

    • Tasmania

      2.2%

    • Northern Territory

      0.6%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      2.2%

    Barista Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 13,300 28.0% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 11,600 24.5% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 11,500 24.3% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 2,900 6.0% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 5,800 12.2% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 1,000 2.2% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 280 0.6% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 1,000 2.2% 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

    Barista

    Total employment

    Age group Barista Total employment
    15–24 years 52.2% 14.3%
    25–34 years 28.2% 22.7%
    35–44 years 10.1% 22.3%
    45–54 years 5.8% 20.4%
    55–64 years 3.1% 15.3%
    65–74 years 0.5% 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 Barista Total employment
    Female 73.9% 48.5%
    Male 26.1% 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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