OSCA 741931

Aircraft Baggage Handler and Ground Crew

Overview

  • Employed persons

    4,300

  • Employment status

    41.1% Full time

    59.0% Part time

  • Median age

    35 years

  • Employment by sex

    16.9% Female

    83.0% Male

    Highly male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    1.9%

  • Main employing industry

    Transport, Postal and Warehousing

Indicator Aircraft Baggage Handler and Ground Crew Total employment
Employed persons 4,300 12,049,400
Median age 35 years 40 years
Full-time share 41.1% 64.2%
Part-time share 59.0% 35.8%
Female employment share 16.9% 48.5%
Male employment share 83.0% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 1.9% 2.2%
Main employing industry Transport, Postal and Warehousing Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Aircraft Baggage Handlers and Ground Crews load and unload air freight, direct planes, position staircases and perform other aircraft ground services to ensure aircraft operations run efficiently.

What the occupation involves

  • Loads and unloads air freight from aircraft
  • Inspects air freight to ensure it is properly loaded and secured
  • Operates vehicles and material-moving equipment during the loading, unloading and transportation of air freight
  • Sorts air freight for processing, transport or storage
  • Positions loading ramps and staircases to allow passengers to board and disembark aircraft
  • Assists in the movement of aircraft on the ground
  • Communicates with pilots, Flight Attendants and other ground crew members to coordinate aircraft operations

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Ramp Agent

Note: Specialisations are examples of roles in within this occupation and are not separate OSCA occupations.

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

    Aircraft Baggage Handler and Ground Crew Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 88.5% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 3.6% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Administrative and Support Services 2.5% Construction 8.9%
    Accommodation and Food Services 1.4% Education and Training 8.8%
    Manufacturing 0.7% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 0.5% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Mining 0.5% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Construction 0.2% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Wholesale Trade 0.2% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Health Care and Social Assistance <0.1% 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

      29.9%

    • Victoria

      17.6%

    • Queensland

      24.9%

    • South Australia

      6.6%

    • Tasmania

      2.6%

    • Northern Territory

      2.6%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.6%

    Aircraft Baggage Handler and Ground Crew Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 1,300 29.9% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 760 17.6% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 1,100 24.9% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 280 6.6% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 610 14.2% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 110 2.6% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 110 2.6% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 70 1.6% 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

    Aircraft Baggage Handler and Ground Crew

    Total employment

    Age group Aircraft Baggage Handler and Ground Crew Total employment
    15–24 years 24.6% 14.3%
    25–34 years 24.0% 22.7%
    35–44 years 18.3% 22.3%
    45–54 years 19.2% 20.4%
    55–64 years 12.1% 15.3%
    65–74 years 1.8% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.0% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Aircraft Baggage Handler and Ground Crew Total employment
    Female 16.9% 48.5%
    Male 83.0% 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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