OSCA 471331

Cafe Worker

Overview

  • Employed persons

    27,500

  • Employment status

    12.9% Full time

    87.1% Part time

  • Median age

    22 years

  • Employment by sex

    80.0% Female

    20.0% Male

    Highly female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    2.5%

  • Main employing industry

    Accommodation and Food Services

Indicator Cafe Worker Total employment
Employed persons 27,500 12,049,400
Median age 22 years 40 years
Full-time share 12.9% 64.2%
Part-time share 87.1% 35.8%
Female employment share 80.0% 48.5%
Male employment share 20.0% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 2.5% 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

Cafe Workers sell and serve food and beverage for consumption on premises in a cafe or similar establishment.

What the occupation involves

  • Takes customer orders for food and beverages
  • Handles seating arrangements for customers and sets aside tables for reservations
  • Performs routine cleaning procedures such as clearing and wiping down tables, chairs and counters, and cleaning dishes
  • Stocks and replenishes food and beverage supplies, such as refilling drink fridges or food displays
  • Handles customer payments

Common occupation titles

  • Cafe Assistant
  • Cafe Attendant

Specialisations

  • Canteen Attendant

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

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 5
equivalent to secondary education, or a Certificate I).

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

    Cafe Worker Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Accommodation and Food Services 78.2% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Education and Training 6.4% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Arts and Recreation Services 3.4% Construction 8.9%
    Retail Trade 3.2% Education and Training 8.8%
    Manufacturing 2.8% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 1.7% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Other Services 0.7% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Wholesale Trade 0.4% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.3% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.3% 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

      26.6%

    • Victoria

      24.8%

    • Queensland

      22.5%

    • South Australia

      7.9%

    • Tasmania

      2.6%

    • Northern Territory

      0.8%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      2.6%

    Cafe Worker Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 7,300 26.6% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 6,800 24.8% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 6,200 22.5% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 2,200 7.9% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 3,300 12.1% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 720 2.6% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 230 0.8% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 720 2.6% 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

    Cafe Worker

    Total employment

    Age group Cafe Worker Total employment
    15–24 years 56.3% 14.3%
    25–34 years 14.5% 22.7%
    35–44 years 9.9% 22.3%
    45–54 years 10.3% 20.4%
    55–64 years 7.4% 15.3%
    65–74 years 1.5% 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 Cafe Worker Total employment
    Female 80.0% 48.5%
    Male 20.0% 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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