OSCA 611131

Checkout Operator

Overview

  • Employed persons

    90,600

  • Employment status

    11.9% Full time

    88.1% Part time

  • Median age

    21 years

  • Employment by sex

    73.7% Female

    26.3% Male

    Moderately female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    3.1%

  • Main employing industry

    Retail Trade

Indicator Checkout Operator Total employment
Employed persons 90,600 12,049,400
Median age 21 years 40 years
Full-time share 11.9% 64.2%
Part-time share 88.1% 35.8%
Female employment share 73.7% 48.5%
Male employment share 26.3% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 3.1% 2.2%
Main employing industry Retail Trade Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Checkout Operators operate cash registers and point of sale systems to receive payments for goods purchased by customers.

What the occupation involves

  • Operates cash registers and point of sale systems in an establishment that sells goods or services
  • Handles cash and digital transactions, and calculates and provides correct change to customers, following all cash handling and security procedures
  • Scans and processes items for purchase, and ensures that all items are properly scanned and priced
  • Assists customers with bagging and packing their purchases
  • Answers customer enquiries and provides information about products and services
  • Maintains cleanliness and organisation of checkout area
  • Escalates customer complaints or issues regarding payments or transactions to appropriate personnel
  • Compares recorded sales with the cash in the register and total digital transactions, reporting any discrepancies to a supervisor

Common occupation titles

  • Cashier

Specialisations

No specialisations are listed for this occupation.

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

Sales Workers (6)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Checkout Operator Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Retail Trade 85.1% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Accommodation and Food Services 9.1% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Wholesale Trade 1.2% Construction 8.9%
    Arts and Recreation Services 0.7% Education and Training 8.8%
    Manufacturing 0.7% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.4% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 0.3% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 0.2% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Information Media and Telecommunications 0.2% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Other Services 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

      27.5%

    • Victoria

      25.6%

    • Queensland

      21.7%

    • South Australia

      8.8%

    • Tasmania

      1.9%

    • Northern Territory

      0.8%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.4%

    Checkout Operator Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 24,900 27.5% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 23,200 25.6% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 19,700 21.7% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 8,000 8.8% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 11,000 12.1% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 1,700 1.9% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 760 0.8% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 1,300 1.4% 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

    Checkout Operator

    Total employment

    Age group Checkout Operator Total employment
    15–24 years 59.2% 14.3%
    25–34 years 13.2% 22.7%
    35–44 years 8.0% 22.3%
    45–54 years 8.4% 20.4%
    55–64 years 8.8% 15.3%
    65–74 years 2.2% 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 Checkout Operator Total employment
    Female 73.7% 48.5%
    Male 26.3% 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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