OSCA 821731

Scaffolder

Overview

  • Employed persons

    8,400

  • Employment status

    80.4% Full time

    19.6% Part time

  • Median age

    33 years

  • Employment by sex

    1.0% Female

    99.0% Male

    Almost completely male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    4.9%

  • Main employing industry

    Construction

Indicator Scaffolder Total employment
Employed persons 8,400 12,049,400
Median age 33 years 40 years
Full-time share 80.4% 64.2%
Part-time share 19.6% 35.8%
Female employment share 1.0% 48.5%
Male employment share 99.0% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Almost completely male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 4.9% 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

Scaffolders erect and dismantle scaffolding to provide work platforms on building and industrial sites, and for temporary structures such as staging and seating.

What the occupation involves

  • Fits and bolts tubes, support braces and components to form bases and build up scaffolding
  • Lifts and positions sections of scaffolding
  • Erects guard rails, guy wires, ropes and clamps, lays planks, and hangs safety nets
  • Dismantles and removes scaffolding from building sites

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

Registration or licensing may be required.

OSCA structure

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Scaffolder Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Construction 79.2% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Mining 6.5% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services 2.6% Construction 8.9%
    Manufacturing 1.9% Education and Training 8.8%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 1.5% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Administrative and Support Services 1.0% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Wholesale Trade 0.7% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Other Services 0.6% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 0.3% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 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

      27.2%

    • Victoria

      20.0%

    • Queensland

      23.1%

    • South Australia

      5.2%

    • Tasmania

      1.2%

    • Northern Territory

      0.9%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.2%

    Scaffolder Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 2,300 27.2% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 1,700 20.0% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 1,900 23.1% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 440 5.2% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 1,800 21.1% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 100 1.2% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 80 0.9% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 100 1.2% 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

    Scaffolder

    Total employment

    Age group Scaffolder Total employment
    15–24 years 18.2% 14.3%
    25–34 years 36.6% 22.7%
    35–44 years 24.6% 22.3%
    45–54 years 13.6% 20.4%
    55–64 years 6.1% 15.3%
    65–74 years 0.8% 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 Scaffolder Total employment
    Female 1.0% 48.5%
    Male 99.0% 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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