OSCA 839138

Recycling Worker

Overview

  • Employed persons

    3,000

  • Employment status

    50.9% Full time

    49.2% Part time

  • Median age

    38 years

  • Employment by sex

    20.8% Female

    79.1% Male

    Highly male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    5.5%

  • Main employing industry

    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services

Indicator Recycling Worker Total employment
Employed persons 3,000 12,049,400
Median age 38 years 40 years
Full-time share 50.9% 64.2%
Part-time share 49.2% 35.8%
Female employment share 20.8% 48.5%
Male employment share 79.1% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 5.5% 2.2%
Main employing industry Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Recycling Workers perform routine tasks in a recycling facility, such as sorting, packing and storing plastics, glass, paper, metal and other recyclable materials that have been collected from household, commercial and industrial premises in preparation for use in creating new products.

What the occupation involves

  • Inspects materials for contamination and removes non-recyclable items
  • Sorts and packs materials for further processing
  • Operates machinery and equipment to assist in the recycling process
  • Monitors and maintains inventory of recyclable materials
  • Follows safety procedures and guidelines to prevent accidents and injuries

Common occupation titles

  • Recycling Sorter

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

    Recycling Worker Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 45.0% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Wholesale Trade 11.3% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 7.4% Construction 8.9%
    Manufacturing 5.0% Education and Training 8.8%
    Administrative and Support Services 3.8% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Public Administration and Safety 3.1% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Retail Trade 2.0% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 1.5% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Construction 1.3% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 0.5% 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

      26.1%

    • Victoria

      19.2%

    • Queensland

      22.7%

    • South Australia

      11.0%

    • Tasmania

      2.4%

    • Northern Territory

      1.0%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      2.0%

    Recycling Worker Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 770 26.1% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 570 19.2% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 670 22.7% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 330 11.0% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 450 15.3% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 70 2.4% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 30 1.0% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 60 2.0% 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

    Recycling Worker

    Total employment

    Age group Recycling Worker Total employment
    15–24 years 24.0% 14.3%
    25–34 years 20.2% 22.7%
    35–44 years 16.9% 22.3%
    45–54 years 19.7% 20.4%
    55–64 years 14.8% 15.3%
    65–74 years 3.7% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.3% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Recycling Worker Total employment
    Female 20.8% 48.5%
    Male 79.1% 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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