A new report about occupation mobility shows that movement between roles are clustered throughout the labour market, with some occupations (such as entry-level or generalist roles) acting as key gateways that connect to a wide range of other occupations.
The report also shows movement varies across sectors, with some featuring structured, sequential pathways with limited sideways movement, while others display more fluid and interconnected career transitions.
Along with the paper, explore the inflows and outflows for occupations with a new interactive tool.
Using Sales Assistant (General), Australia’s most common occupation, as an example, the analysis shows strong links with other service roles such as waiters and fast-food cooks, alongside pathways into higher-skilled jobs including retail management and clerical work.
Network analysis also groups occupations into eight mobility “clusters”, from Social, Education and Service to Health, Science and Research and Engineering and ICT, illustrating how some careers offer broad, flexible transitions while others follow more structured training pathways.
Further work will examine how mobility patterns differ across demographic groups, helping build a clearer picture of how Australia’s skills and training systems shape opportunities over time.
