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Archivists, Curators and Records Managers

ANZSCO ID 2242

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
7,500
Future Growth
2.1%
Weekly Earnings
$1,902
Full-Time Share
70%
Female Share
71%
Average age
46
About this data

Summary

Archivists, Curators and Records Managers develop, maintain, implement and deliver systems for keeping, updating, accessing and preserving records, files, information, historical documents and artefacts.

Tasks

  • evaluating and preserving records for administrative, historical, legal, evidential and other purposes

  • preparing record-keeping systems, indexes, guides and procedures for archival research and for the retention and destruction of records

  • identifying and classifying specimens and objects, and arranging restoration work

  • examining items and arranging examinations to determine condition and authenticity

  • designing and revising medical record forms

  • managing organisations' central records systems

  • analysing the record-keeping needs of organisations, and translating these needs into record management systems

  • maintaining computerised and other record management systems and record forms, and advising on their usage

  • controlling access to confidential information, and recommending codes of practice and procedures for accessing records

  • developing record cataloguing, coding and classification systems, and monitoring their use

Characteristics

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers in this occupation is likely to remain stable.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
2.1%
(or 100 jobs)
From
6,000
in 2021
To
6,100
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 4,100
2012 6,600
2013 9,100
2014 7,600
2015 5,100
2016 6,500
2017 8,000
2018 7,700
2019 10,700
2020 5,300
2021 6,000
2026 6,100

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 69% of people employed as Archivists, Curators and Records Managers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 3 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 41 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,902 per week, this is much higher than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,604
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $2,177

    Median hourly earnings are $50, this is more than the all jobs median ($41 per hour).

    Sources: Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average. Full-time median earnings and median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021. Compared to all jobs median.

Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Earnings Archivists, Curators and Records Managers All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,902 1,593
Total Earnings 0 0

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.

Industries

Main industries

1
Arts and Recreation Services
29.3%
2
Public Administration and Safety
25.6%
3
Health Care and Social Assistance
25.6%
4
Education and Training
4.9%
5
Other industries
11.0%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

26.8% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

30.5% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

13.7% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.1% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.2% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

7.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Archivists, Curators and Records Managers All Jobs Average
NSW 26.8 31.6
VIC 30.5 25.6
QLD 13.7 20.0
SA 7.1 7.0
WA 11.2 10.8
TAS 2.2 2.0
NT 1.5 1.0
ACT 7.0 1.9


  • The Australian Capital Territory and Victoria have a large share of employment relative to their population size.

    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
46
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
71%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Archivists, Curators and Records Managers is 46 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 71% of the workforce. This is 23 percentage points above 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 Archivists, Curators and Records Managers All Jobs Average
15-19 0.5 5.0
20-24 3.1 9.3
25-34 18.5 22.9
35-44 25.0 22.0
45-54 26.1 21.6
55-59 12.3 9.0
60-64 8.4 6.0
65 and Over 6.1 4.2
Median Age 46 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 or postgraduate degree in a relevant field is usually needed to work as an Archivist, Curator or Records Manager. Some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification.

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  • 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.

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 Archivists, Curators and Records Managers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 32.1 10.1
Bachelor degree 33.1 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 12.3 11.6
Certificate III/IV 7.3 21.1
Year 12 9.9 18.1
Year 11 2.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 3.4 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 Archivists, Curators and Records Managers who have strong attention to detail, can communicate clearly with a wide variety of people and who can work well in a team.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 57%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 55%

    Active listening

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

  • 55%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 54%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 54%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 46%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 45%

    Active learning

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

  • 45%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 45%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 45%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 45%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 45%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 45%

    Monitoring

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

  • 43%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 43%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 43%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 43%

    Time management

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

  • 39%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 37%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 36%

    Systems evaluation

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

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 73%

    Clerical

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

  • 72%

    History and archeology

    Events of the past, their causes, how we learn about them, and how they influence the way we live today.

  • 69%

    English language

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

  • 68%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 63%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 62%

    Administration and management

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

  • 57%

    Education and training

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

  • 51%

    Law and government

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

  • 48%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 47%

    Communications and media

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

  • 46%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 42%

    Geography

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

  • 38%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 37%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

  • 36%

    Philosophy and theology

    Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.

  • 34%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 29%

    Chemistry

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

  • 27%

    Psychology

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

  • 27%

    Fine arts

    Compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • 21%

    Economics and accounting

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

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 59%

    Near vision

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

  • 59%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 57%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 54%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 50%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 46%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 46%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 45%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 43%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 43%

    Originality

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

  • 41%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 41%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 39%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 39%

    Colour discrimination

    Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.

  • 34%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 34%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 32%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

Activities

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

  • 79%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 78%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 78%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 75%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 74%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 71%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 70%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 68%

    Working with the public

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

  • 67%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.

  • 67%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 67%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 65%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 64%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 63%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 63%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

  • 62%

    Coming up with systems and processes

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

  • 60%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 57%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 54%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 52%

    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.

  • 95%

    Administrative

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

  • 76%

    Analytical

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

  • 48%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 43%

    Practical

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

  • 33%

    Enterprising

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

  • 24%

    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.

  • 71%

    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.

  • 67%

    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.

  • 62%

    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.

  • 50%

    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.

  • 43%

    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:

  • 99%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 97%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 95%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 91%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 88%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 84%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 82%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 81%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 78%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 78%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 72%

    Contact with people

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

  • 68%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 64%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 61%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 58%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 58%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 54%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 54%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 53%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 53%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

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, 25-4011.00 - Archivists.

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