OSCA 5511

Call and Contact Centre Workers

Overview

  • Employed persons

    43,100

  • Employment status

    66.2% Full time

    33.8% Part time

  • Median age

    34 years

  • Employment by sex

    69.2% Female

    30.8% Male

    Moderately female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    2.4%

  • Main employing industry

    Public Administration and Safety

Indicator Call and Contact Centre Workers Total employment
Employed persons 43,100 12,049,400
Median age 34 years 40 years
Full-time share 66.2% 64.2%
Part-time share 33.8% 35.8%
Female employment share 69.2% 48.5%
Male employment share 30.8% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 2.4% 2.2%
Main employing industry Public Administration and Safety Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Call and Contact Centre Workers answer customer telephone, internet and email enquiries about goods and services, promote the goods and services, and oversee teams of Call or Contact Centre Operators.

Skill level (education and experience level)

This occupation group includes roles at multiple skill levels:

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).
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.

OSCA structure

Clerical and Administrative Workers (5)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Call and Contact Centre Workers Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Public Administration and Safety 21.9% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Financial and Insurance Services 17.4% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Administrative and Support Services 16.2% Construction 8.9%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 6.2% Education and Training 8.8%
    Retail Trade 4.8% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 4.2% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Information Media and Telecommunications 4.2% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 3.5% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Other Services 3.2% 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

      26.9%

    • Victoria

      29.6%

    • Queensland

      22.0%

    • South Australia

      9.5%

    • Tasmania

      2.6%

    • Northern Territory

      0.6%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.7%

    Call and Contact Centre Workers Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 11,600 26.9% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 12,800 29.6% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 9,500 22.0% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 4,100 9.5% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 3,100 7.2% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 1,100 2.6% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 240 0.6% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 740 1.7% 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

    Call and Contact Centre Workers

    Total employment

    Age group Call and Contact Centre Workers Total employment
    15–24 years 21.3% 14.3%
    25–34 years 28.8% 22.7%
    35–44 years 19.1% 22.3%
    45–54 years 16.5% 20.4%
    55–64 years 12.0% 15.3%
    65–74 years 2.1% 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 Call and Contact Centre Workers Total employment
    Female 69.2% 48.5%
    Male 30.8% 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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