OSCA 831331

Meat Process Worker

Overview

  • Employed persons

    11,000

  • Employment status

    77.4% Full time

    22.6% Part time

  • Median age

    36 years

  • Employment by sex

    25.2% Female

    74.7% Male

    Moderately male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    3.2%

  • Main employing industry

    Manufacturing

Indicator Meat Process Worker Total employment
Employed persons 11,000 12,049,400
Median age 36 years 40 years
Full-time share 77.4% 64.2%
Part-time share 22.6% 35.8%
Female employment share 25.2% 48.5%
Male employment share 74.7% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 3.2% 2.2%
Main employing industry Manufacturing Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Meat Process Workers prepare meat and meat products by processing trimmed and boned carcasses and meat products by hand or with machinery.

What the occupation involves

  • Operates machinery and equipment in a meat processing factory, such as grinders, slicers and tenderisers, to process cut and trimmed meat
  • Processes meat, offal and tripe by adding ingredients such as spices and herbs, to make a variety of meat products
  • Maintains cleanliness and hygiene standards in the meat processing area
  • Moves processed meat and meat products into storage areas, and monitors and adjusts temperature and humidity levels in meat storage areas
  • Adheres to quality control standards to ensure the production of high quality meat products

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 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

    Meat Process Worker Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Manufacturing 83.1% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Retail Trade 3.7% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Wholesale Trade 3.1% Construction 8.9%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 2.0% Education and Training 8.8%
    Administrative and Support Services 1.2% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Accommodation and Food Services 0.5% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 0.5% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Construction 0.3% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Arts and Recreation Services <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

      24.9%

    • Victoria

      29.1%

    • Queensland

      29.3%

    • South Australia

      7.2%

    • Tasmania

      1.9%

    • Northern Territory

      0.2%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      0.1%

    Meat Process Worker Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 2,800 24.9% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 3,200 29.1% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 3,200 29.3% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 790 7.2% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 830 7.5% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 210 1.9% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 20 0.2% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 10 0.1% 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

    Meat Process Worker

    Total employment

    Age group Meat Process Worker Total employment
    15–24 years 16.0% 14.3%
    25–34 years 31.2% 22.7%
    35–44 years 21.3% 22.3%
    45–54 years 17.7% 20.4%
    55–64 years 12.1% 15.3%
    65–74 years 1.8% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.1% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Meat Process Worker Total employment
    Female 25.2% 48.5%
    Male 74.7% 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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