OSCA 731937

Sterilisation Technician

Overview

  • Employed persons

    4,900

  • Employment status

    58.2% Full time

    41.8% Part time

  • Median age

    50 years

  • Employment by sex

    66.6% Female

    33.4% Male

    Moderately female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    1.2%

  • Main employing industry

    Health Care and Social Assistance

Indicator Sterilisation Technician Total employment
Employed persons 4,900 12,049,400
Median age 50 years 40 years
Full-time share 58.2% 64.2%
Part-time share 41.8% 35.8%
Female employment share 66.6% 48.5%
Male employment share 33.4% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 1.2% 2.2%
Main employing industry Health Care and Social Assistance Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Sterilisation Technicians clean, sterilise and package surgical instruments and other hospital equipment, soft goods and linen in a sterilisation service facility.

What the occupation involves

  • Assembles, packages, inspects and sorts surgical instruments and other hospital equipment, soft goods and linen for cleaning and sterilisation
  • Operates cleaning and sterilisation equipment according to guidelines
  • Monitors sterilisation cycles and equipment functionality
  • Maintains inventory of sterile supplies and restocks as needed
  • Adheres to infection control and safety protocols
  • Collaborates with Health Professionals to ensure that sterilised equipment is readily available for patient care
  • Cleans and maintains the sterilisation service facility and equipment

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

    Sterilisation Technician Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Health Care and Social Assistance 94.3% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Manufacturing 1.1% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 0.8% Construction 8.9%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.7% Education and Training 8.8%
    Education and Training 0.5% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.5% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Other Services 0.4% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Wholesale Trade 0.3% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Financial and Insurance Services 0.2% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Accommodation and Food Services 0.0% 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

      30.8%

    • Victoria

      28.1%

    • Queensland

      14.3%

    • South Australia

      9.3%

    • Tasmania

      2.5%

    • Northern Territory

      0.8%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.9%

    Sterilisation Technician Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 1,500 30.8% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 1,400 28.1% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 700 14.3% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 460 9.3% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 590 12.0% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 120 2.5% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 40 0.8% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 90 1.9% 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

    Sterilisation Technician

    Total employment

    Age group Sterilisation Technician Total employment
    15–24 years 4.6% 14.3%
    25–34 years 11.0% 22.7%
    35–44 years 20.4% 22.3%
    45–54 years 28.7% 20.4%
    55–64 years 28.8% 15.3%
    65–74 years 6.4% 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 Sterilisation Technician Total employment
    Female 66.6% 48.5%
    Male 33.4% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

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      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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