Agricultural Consultants

ANZSCO ID 234111

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
1,700
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
71%
Female Share
29%
Average age
49

Summary

Agricultural Consultants advise farmers, agricultural businesses, rural industries and government on the production, processing and distribution of farm products.

Specialisations: Agricultural Extension Officer, Landcare Officer.

A bachelor degree in agribusiness or agricultural science or another related field is usually needed to work as an Agricultural Consultant. In some states, training may also be available through Vocational Education and Training (VET).

Tasks

  • Collects and analyses data and samples of produce, fertiliser, feed, soil and other factors affecting production.

  • Advises farmers and farm managers on techniques for improving the production of crops and livestock, and alternative agricultural options.

  • Advises farmers on issues such as livestock and crop disease, control of pests and weeds, soil improvement, animal husbandry and feeding programmes.

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Enterprising
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Light
  • Medium

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Agricultural and Forestry Scientists, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 71% of people employed as Agricultural Consultants work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 5 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 46 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
41.8%
2
Public Administration and Safety
19.8%
3
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
18.2%
4
Manufacturing
4.9%
5
Other industries
11.2%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

24.8% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

22.3% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

22.2% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

9.4% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

14.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

5.2% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.8% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.1% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Agricultural Consultants All Jobs Average
NSW 24.8 31.6
VIC 22.3 25.6
QLD 22.2 20.0
SA 9.4 7.0
WA 14.2 10.8
TAS 5.2 2.0
NT 0.8 1.0
ACT 1.1 1.9


  • Around 71% of Agricultural Consultants live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Western Australia and Tasmania have a large share of employment relative to their population size.

    The regions with the largest share of workers are:

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
49
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
29%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Agricultural Consultants is 49 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 29% of the workforce. This is 19 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Agricultural Consultants All Jobs Average
15-19 0.7 5.0
20-24 3.5 9.3
25-34 14.5 22.9
35-44 22.0 22.0
45-54 23.3 21.6
55-59 11.1 9.0
60-64 11.2 6.0
65 and Over 13.8 4.2
Median Age 49 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A bachelor degree in agribusiness or agricultural science or another related field is usually needed to work as an Agricultural Consultant. In some states, training may also be available through Vocational Education and Training (VET).

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation & Land Management, Forest and Wood Products Industry, Sustainability and Laboratory Operations VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Agricultural Consultants All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 22.7 10.1
Bachelor degree 39.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 13.2 11.6
Certificate III/IV 10.2 21.1
Year 12 7.4 18.1
Year 11 2.1 4.8
Year 10 and below 4.7 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Agricultural and Forestry Scientists who can communicate clearly, work well in a team and have strong interpersonal skills.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 64%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 64%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 61%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 59%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 59%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 59%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 59%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 57%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 57%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 57%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 55%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 55%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 55%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 55%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 54%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 54%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 54%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 52%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 50%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 45%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 86%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 78%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 72%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 64%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 62%

    Food production

    Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.

  • 60%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 58%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 58%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 57%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 56%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 55%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 55%

    Geography

    Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.

  • 54%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 54%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 49%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 45%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 45%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 43%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 40%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 33%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 66%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 64%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 63%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 61%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 61%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 61%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 59%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 59%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 59%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 57%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 57%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 55%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 54%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 48%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 48%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 46%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 45%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 45%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

  • 41%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 41%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 88%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 87%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 85%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 79%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 79%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 78%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 76%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 75%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 72%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 70%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 69%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 65%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 64%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 64%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 64%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 62%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 62%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 60%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 56%

    Leading and encouraging a team

    Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

  • 46%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 76%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 67%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 62%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 33%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 33%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 86%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 76%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 71%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 62%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 60%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 38%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 100%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 94%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 94%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 92%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 90%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 88%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 84%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 82%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 79%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

    Work in a closed vehicle (e.g., car).

  • 76%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 75%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 75%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 74%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 72%

    Public speaking

    Talk to a group of people.

  • 71%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 69%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 66%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 62%

    Indoors, not heat controlled

    Work indoors without heating or cooling (e.g., warehouse without heat).

  • 59%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 25-9021.00 - Farm and Home Management Advisors.


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