Automobile Drivers

ANZSCO ID 7311

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
60,500
Future Growth
10.6%
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
44%
Female Share
6%
Average age
46

Summary

Automobile Drivers drive motor cars to transport passengers to destinations.

Tasks

  • using mobile computer systems and radio networks to log into waiting passenger information

  • picking up passengers at designated locations or when hailed

  • checking passenger destinations and determining most appropriate route

  • transporting passengers to desired destinations

  • assisting passengers with luggage

  • collecting fares and processing fare payments

  • may collect and deliver parcels

Characteristics

Job Type
Machinery Operators And Drivers
Skill Level
Lower skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Above average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light
  • Medium

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:

  • is expected to grow strongly
  • is likely to reach 51,800 by 2026.
  • 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
10.6%
(or 5,000 jobs)
From
46,800
in 2021
To
51,800
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 44,300
2012 36,100
2013 44,300
2014 46,200
2015 38,300
2016 47,700
2017 57,500
2018 55,000
2019 57,900
2020 48,500
2021 46,800
2026 51,800

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 58% of people employed as Automobile Drivers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 8 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 48 hours per week in their main job. This is 4 hours more than 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
Transport, Postal and Warehousing
96.1%
2
Health Care and Social Assistance
1.2%
3
Retail Trade
1.0%
4
Manufacturing
0.4%
5
Other industries
0.8%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

37.0% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

25.2% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

17.8% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

10.6% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.7% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.8% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.5% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Automobile Drivers All Jobs Average
NSW 37.0 31.6
VIC 25.2 25.6
QLD 17.8 20.0
SA 5.3 7.0
WA 10.6 10.8
TAS 1.7 2.0
NT 0.8 1.0
ACT 1.5 1.9


  • Around 76% of Automobile Drivers live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    New South Wales has a large share of employment relative to its 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
6%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Automobile Drivers is 46 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 6% of the workforce. This is 42 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 Automobile Drivers All Jobs Average
15-19 0.1 5.0
20-24 2.8 9.3
25-34 24.3 22.9
35-44 19.4 22.0
45-54 21.2 21.6
55-59 11.3 9.0
60-64 10.7 6.0
65 and Over 10.2 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

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as an Automobile Driver. Although some workers have a certificate II or III in driving operations.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Transport and Logistics Training Package 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 Automobile Drivers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 9.0 10.1
Bachelor degree 18.5 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 15.9 11.6
Certificate III/IV 13.5 21.1
Year 12 24.7 18.1
Year 11 3.5 4.8
Year 10 and below 15.0 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 Automobile Drivers who are responsible, provide good customer service and work independently.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 43%

    Active listening

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

  • 41%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 41%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 41%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 39%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 39%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 37%

    Monitoring

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

  • 36%

    Operation monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

  • 36%

    Time management

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

  • 36%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 36%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 34%

    Active learning

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

  • 34%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 34%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 32%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 32%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 32%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 30%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 30%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 29%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 51%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 51%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 39%

    Administration and management

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

  • 37%

    Psychology

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

  • 36%

    English language

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

  • 35%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 29%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 29%

    Law and government

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

  • 25%

    Clerical

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

  • 25%

    Education and training

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

  • 25%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 24%

    Communications and media

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

  • 23%

    Geography

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

  • 21%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 20%

    Mechanical

    Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • 20%

    Foreign language

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

  • 18%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 18%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 16%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 15%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 55%

    Response orientation

    Quickly choose the right movement of the hand, foot, or other body part when there are two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures).

  • 52%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 52%

    Rate control

    Change when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

  • 50%

    Reaction time

    Quickly move your hand, finger, or foot when a sound, light, picture or something else appears.

  • 46%

    Control precision

    Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

  • 46%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 46%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 45%

    Multilimb coordination

    Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.

  • 43%

    Near vision

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

  • 43%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 43%

    Peripheral vision

    See things to your side when your eyes are looking ahead.

  • 43%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 41%

    Hearing sensitivity

    Tell the difference between sounds.

  • 41%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 41%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 41%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 41%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 39%

    Depth perception

    Decide which thing is closer or further away from you, or decide how far away it is.

  • 37%

    Glare sensitivity

    See things in glare or bright lighting.

  • 36%

    Colour discrimination

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


Activities

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

  • 65%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 59%

    Working with the public

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

  • 55%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 53%

    Driving vehicles or equipment

    Running, manoeuvring, navigating, or driving things like forklifts, vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.

  • 52%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 51%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 50%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 50%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 50%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

  • 49%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 48%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 47%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 47%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 45%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 44%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 43%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 43%

    Doing physically active work

    Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.

  • 40%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 31%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 27%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use 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.

  • 81%

    Practical

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

  • 71%

    Enterprising

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

  • 43%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 38%

    Administrative

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

  • 19%

    Analytical

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

  • 14%

    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.
  • 62%

    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.

  • 48%

    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.

  • 43%

    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%

    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.

  • 33%

    Achievement

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

  • 29%

    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.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 93%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

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

  • 90%

    Contact with people

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

  • 89%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 85%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 82%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 80%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 77%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 74%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 74%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 73%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 71%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 68%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 67%

    Very hot or cold temperatures

    Work in very hot or cold temperatures.

  • 66%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 65%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 65%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 62%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 61%

    Loud or uncomfortable sounds

    Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.

  • 59%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 59%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

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, 53-3041.00 - Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs.


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