OSCA 899232

Fishing Hand

Overview

  • Employed persons

    2,400

  • Employment status

    61.6% Full time

    38.4% Part time

  • Median age

    46 years

  • Employment by sex

    5.0% Female

    95.3% Male

    Almost completely male dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    5.5%

  • Main employing industry

    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing

Indicator Fishing Hand Total employment
Employed persons 2,400 12,049,400
Median age 46 years 40 years
Full-time share 61.6% 64.2%
Part-time share 38.4% 35.8%
Female employment share 5.0% 48.5%
Male employment share 95.3% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Almost completely male dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 5.5% 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

Fishing Hands catch fish, crustacea and molluscs using nets, pots, lines and traps in ocean and inland waters.

What the occupation involves

  • Attaches fishing gear and fastens towing cables to nets
  • Casts and lowers fishing nets, pots, lines and traps into water
  • Prepares fishing lines, attaches running gear and bait, and sets lines into position
  • Hauls in fishing gear, and removes fish and other marine life
  • Sorts, cleans, preserves, stows and refrigerates fishing catch

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • Cray Fishing Hand
  • Deep Sea Commercial Fishing Hand

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

    Fishing Hand Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 88.3% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Transport, Postal and Warehousing 2.3% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Public Administration and Safety 1.3% Construction 8.9%
    Wholesale Trade 1.2% Education and Training 8.8%
    Retail Trade 1.1% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Manufacturing 1.0% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.5% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Accommodation and Food Services 0.3% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Construction 0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Arts and Recreation Services 0.0% 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

      22.0%

    • Victoria

      7.2%

    • Queensland

      23.5%

    • South Australia

      17.6%

    • Tasmania

      8.3%

    • Northern Territory

      2.5%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      0.0%

    Fishing Hand Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 530 22.0% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 170 7.2% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 560 23.5% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 420 17.6% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 450 18.8% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 200 8.3% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 60 2.5% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 0 0.0% 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

    Fishing Hand

    Total employment

    Age group Fishing Hand Total employment
    15–24 years 11.5% 14.3%
    25–34 years 19.4% 22.7%
    35–44 years 17.3% 22.3%
    45–54 years 21.0% 20.4%
    55–64 years 20.0% 15.3%
    65–74 years 9.1% 4.3%
    75 years and over 1.8% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Fishing Hand Total employment
    Female 5.0% 48.5%
    Male 95.3% 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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