OSCA 5512

Information Officers and Switchboard Operators

Overview

  • Employed persons

    57,700

  • Employment status

    68.6% Full time

    31.4% Part time

  • Median age

    38 years

  • Employment by sex

    69.8% Female

    30.2% Male

    Moderately female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    2.5%

  • Main employing industry

    Public Administration and Safety

Indicator Information Officers and Switchboard Operators Total employment
Employed persons 57,700 12,049,400
Median age 38 years 40 years
Full-time share 68.6% 64.2%
Part-time share 31.4% 35.8%
Female employment share 69.8% 48.5%
Male employment share 30.2% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 2.5% 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

Information Officers and Switchboard Operators respond to personal, written and telephone enquiries and complaints about an organisation's goods and services, provide information, establish telephone connections and redirect people to other sources.

Skill level (education and experience level)

This occupation group includes roles at multiple skill levels:

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

OSCA structure

Clerical and Administrative Workers (5)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Information Officers and Switchboard Operators Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Public Administration and Safety 29.6% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Retail Trade 8.7% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Financial and Insurance Services 8.3% Construction 8.9%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 8.2% Education and Training 8.8%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 5.5% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Other Services 4.5% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Education and Training 4.3% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Administrative and Support Services 4.0% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Information Media and Telecommunications 3.7% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Wholesale Trade 3.6% 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

      32.1%

    • Victoria

      27.9%

    • Queensland

      17.4%

    • South Australia

      7.2%

    • Tasmania

      2.5%

    • Northern Territory

      0.9%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      2.5%

    Information Officers and Switchboard Operators Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 18,500 32.1% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 16,100 27.9% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 10,100 17.4% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 4,200 7.2% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 5,500 9.5% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 1,400 2.5% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 500 0.9% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 1,500 2.5% 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

    Information Officers and Switchboard Operators

    Total employment

    Age group Information Officers and Switchboard Operators Total employment
    15–24 years 14.2% 14.3%
    25–34 years 26.5% 22.7%
    35–44 years 21.2% 22.3%
    45–54 years 19.6% 20.4%
    55–64 years 15.3% 15.3%
    65–74 years 3.1% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.2% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Information Officers and Switchboard Operators Total employment
    Female 69.8% 48.5%
    Male 30.2% 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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