OSCA 811332

Laundry Worker

Overview

  • Employed persons

    11,200

  • Employment status

    41.8% Full time

    58.2% Part time

  • Median age

    50 years

  • Employment by sex

    72.2% Female

    27.8% Male

    Moderately female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    2.8%

  • Main employing industry

    Other Services

Indicator Laundry Worker Total employment
Employed persons 11,200 12,049,400
Median age 50 years 40 years
Full-time share 41.8% 64.2%
Part-time share 58.2% 35.8%
Female employment share 72.2% 48.5%
Male employment share 27.8% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 2.8% 2.2%
Main employing industry Other Services Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Laundry Workers sort, clean, iron, press, fold and package linen, clothing and other garments in a commercial laundry or private residence.

What the occupation involves

  • Sorts and separates soiled linen, clothing and other articles by type, colour and hygiene requirements
  • Mixes and adds detergents, dyes, bleaches, starches and other chemicals used in the cleaning process
  • Operates washing machines, dryers and other laundry equipment to clean and dry linen, clothing and other articles
  • Irons and presses clothing, garments and other articles using steam irons or pressing machines
  • Checks clothing, linen, fabrics and other articles for damage or defects
  • Folds or hangs garments, fabrics or other articles for storage or delivery
  • May perform minor repairs or alterations to clothing, linen or other articles

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Folding Machine Operator
  • Hospital Linen Worker
  • Ironer or Presser
  • Linen Sorter

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

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

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Laundry Worker Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Other Services 51.4% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 31.1% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Accommodation and Food Services 4.8% Construction 8.9%
    Administrative and Support Services 4.5% Education and Training 8.8%
    Manufacturing 1.7% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Education and Training 1.0% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Arts and Recreation Services 0.9% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.5% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Wholesale Trade 0.4% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Mining 0.3% 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

      28.8%

    • Victoria

      23.7%

    • Queensland

      23.2%

    • South Australia

      7.4%

    • Tasmania

      3.5%

    • Northern Territory

      1.2%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.3%

    Laundry Worker Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 3,200 28.8% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 2,600 23.7% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 2,600 23.2% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 820 7.4% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 1,200 11.0% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 390 3.5% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 130 1.2% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 140 1.3% 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

    Laundry Worker

    Total employment

    Age group Laundry Worker Total employment
    15–24 years 7.9% 14.3%
    25–34 years 14.2% 22.7%
    35–44 years 17.0% 22.3%
    45–54 years 24.1% 20.4%
    55–64 years 28.7% 15.3%
    65–74 years 7.6% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.6% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Laundry Worker Total employment
    Female 72.2% 48.5%
    Male 27.8% 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.

      Find out more

      What is OSCA   OSCA content updates