OSCA 7412

Earthmoving Plant Operators

Overview

  • Employed persons

    30,300

  • Employment status

    86.5% Full time

    13.5% Part time

  • Median age

    46 years

  • Employment by sex

    2.4% Female

    97.6% Male

    Almost completely male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    4.2%

  • Main employing industry

    Construction

Indicator Earthmoving Plant Operators Total employment
Employed persons 30,300 12,049,400
Median age 46 years 40 years
Full-time share 86.5% 64.2%
Part-time share 13.5% 35.8%
Female employment share 2.4% 48.5%
Male employment share 97.6% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Almost completely male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 4.2% 2.2%
Main employing industry Construction Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Earthmoving Plant Operators operate plant to drill, excavate, break, compact, level, support and move earth, rock and other materials in construction, agriculture, forestry, mining and other projects.

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.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Earthmoving Plant Operators Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Construction 64.8% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Mining 11.0% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Public Administration and Safety 5.3% Construction 8.9%
    Manufacturing 2.9% Education and Training 8.8%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 2.6% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 2.2% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 2.0% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Administrative and Support Services 1.6% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services 1.3% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Wholesale Trade 1.2% 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

      23.4%

    • Queensland

      24.4%

    • South Australia

      7.1%

    • Tasmania

      2.9%

    • Northern Territory

      0.8%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      0.8%

    Earthmoving Plant Operators Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 8,200 26.9% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 7,100 23.4% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 7,400 24.4% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 2,100 7.1% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 4,100 13.7% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 900 2.9% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 250 0.8% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 230 0.8% 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

    Earthmoving Plant Operators

    Total employment

    Age group Earthmoving Plant Operators Total employment
    15–24 years 6.4% 14.3%
    25–34 years 19.4% 22.7%
    35–44 years 21.9% 22.3%
    45–54 years 24.4% 20.4%
    55–64 years 21.8% 15.3%
    65–74 years 5.7% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.4% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Earthmoving Plant Operators Total employment
    Female 2.4% 48.5%
    Male 97.6% 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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