OSCA 841231

Beef Cattle Farm Worker

Overview

  • Employed persons

    4,300

  • Employment status

    66.3% Full time

    33.7% Part time

  • Median age

    35 years

  • Employment by sex

    31.8% Female

    68.4% Male

    Moderately male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    4.6%

  • Main employing industry

    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing

Indicator Beef Cattle Farm Worker Total employment
Employed persons 4,300 12,049,400
Median age 35 years 40 years
Full-time share 66.3% 64.2%
Part-time share 33.7% 35.8%
Female employment share 31.8% 48.5%
Male employment share 68.4% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Moderately male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 4.6% 2.2%
Main employing industry Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Beef Cattle Farm Workers perform routine tasks on a beef cattle farm, such as feeding, mustering and moving cattle, and assisting with animal husbandry.

What the occupation involves

  • Provides beef cattle with feed and water in accordance with feeding schedules, and monitors feed and water intake
  • Musters and droves beef cattle between paddocks, ensuring sufficient feed and water is available and pasture does not become degraded
  • Patrols, inspects and reports on the health, welfare and condition of beef cattle, and the condition of fences and other enclosures
  • Assists with animal husbandry practices and maintaining the health and welfare of beef cattle
  • Assists with the safe transportation of beef cattle to market or other locations

Common occupation titles

  • Station Hand (Beef)

Specialisations

  • Feedlot Worker (Beef Cattle)

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

    Beef Cattle Farm Worker Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 89.4% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Manufacturing 3.7% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Wholesale Trade 2.2% Construction 8.9%
    Construction 0.7% Education and Training 8.8%
    Other Services 0.3% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 0.3% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Accommodation and Food Services 0.2% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.2% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.2% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Retail Trade 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

      27.5%

    • Victoria

      13.2%

    • Queensland

      40.9%

    • South Australia

      4.4%

    • Tasmania

      3.0%

    • Northern Territory

      3.8%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      0.2%

    Beef Cattle Farm Worker Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 1,200 27.5% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 570 13.2% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 1,800 40.9% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 190 4.4% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 310 7.2% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 130 3.0% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 170 3.8% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 10 0.2% 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

    Beef Cattle Farm Worker

    Total employment

    Age group Beef Cattle Farm Worker Total employment
    15–24 years 31.2% 14.3%
    25–34 years 17.2% 22.7%
    35–44 years 11.7% 22.3%
    45–54 years 11.7% 20.4%
    55–64 years 13.8% 15.3%
    65–74 years 10.6% 4.3%
    75 years and over 3.8% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Beef Cattle Farm Worker Total employment
    Female 31.8% 48.5%
    Male 68.4% 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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