Automotive Electricians

ANZSCO ID 3211

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
8,200
Future Growth
-0.7%
Weekly Earnings
$1,352
Full-Time Share
88%
Female Share
2%
Average age
37

Summary

Automotive Electricians install, maintain and repair electrical wiring and electronic components in motor vehicles.

Also known as: Automotive Electrical Fitter.

A certificate III in automotive electrical technology is usually needed to work as an Automotive Electrician.

Tasks

  • using test equipment to locate electrical and electronic malfunctions

  • dismantling and removing electrical and electronic assemblies and components

  • installing electrical equipment and electronic components in motor vehicles

  • connecting power-operated vehicle equipment and accessories to power supply

  • adjusting engine control systems and timing

  • testing and replacing defective alternators, generators, voltage regulators and starter motors

  • repairing and replacing faulty ignition and electrical wiring

  • replacing defective parts such as fuses, lamps and switches

Characteristics

Job Type
Technicians And Trades Workers
Skill Level
Medium skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Below average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Administrative
Physical Demand
  • 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 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
-0.7%
(or -100 jobs)
From
7,400
in 2021
To
7,400
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 9,900
2012 9,200
2013 8,900
2014 9,500
2015 11,700
2016 5,600
2017 6,000
2018 6,300
2019 12,000
2020 2,600
2021 7,400
2026 7,400

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 90% of people employed as Automotive Electricians work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 24 percentage points above 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).

    More than half of workers regularly work overtime or extra hours (either paid or unpaid).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,352 per week, this is much lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,347
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,582

    Median hourly earnings are $36, this is lower 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. Overtime hours: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, 2021. 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 Automotive Electricians All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,352 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
Other Services
63.3%
2
Mining
16.5%
3
Manufacturing
6.3%
4
Retail Trade
5.1%
5
Other industries
7.6%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

25.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

18.3% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

25.6% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.6% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

20.4% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.2% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.1% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.7% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Automotive Electricians All Jobs Average
NSW 25.1 31.6
VIC 18.3 25.6
QLD 25.6 20.0
SA 6.6 7.0
WA 20.4 10.8
TAS 2.2 2.0
NT 1.1 1.0
ACT 0.7 1.9


  • Around 56% of Automotive Electricians live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Western Australia and Queensland 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
37
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
2%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Automotive Electricians is 37 years. This is similar to the all jobs average of 40 years.

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

    Females make up 2% of the workforce. This is 46 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 Automotive Electricians All Jobs Average
15-19 4.7 5.0
20-24 13.2 9.3
25-34 27.3 22.9
35-44 21.8 22.0
45-54 18.6 21.6
55-59 7.2 9.0
60-64 4.8 6.0
65 and Over 2.4 4.2
Median Age 37 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 certificate III in automotive electrical technology is usually needed to work as an Automotive Electrician.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Automotive Retail, Service and Repair 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 Automotive Electricians All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 0.1 10.1
Bachelor degree 1.6 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 2.2 11.6
Certificate III/IV 84.0 21.1
Year 12 6.7 18.1
Year 11 2.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 3.3 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 Automotive Electricians who are reliable, work well in a team and who work hard.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 52%

    Repairing

    Fixing machines or systems.

  • 52%

    Troubleshooting

    Figuring out why a machine or system went wrong and working out what to do about it.

  • 45%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 45%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 43%

    Active listening

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

  • 43%

    Installation

    Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or programs.

  • 43%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 43%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 43%

    Quality control analysis

    Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.

  • 43%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 43%

    Time management

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

  • 41%

    Equipment maintenance

    Maintaining equipment and deciding what maintenance will be needed in the future.

  • 41%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 41%

    Monitoring

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

  • 41%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 41%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 41%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 39%

    Equipment selection

    Deciding on the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 69%

    Mechanical

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

  • 62%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 60%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 52%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 48%

    Education and training

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

  • 46%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 44%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 42%

    English language

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

  • 42%

    Administration and management

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

  • 34%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 31%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 28%

    Physics

    The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

  • 28%

    Building and construction

    Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.

  • 27%

    Chemistry

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

  • 27%

    Transportation

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

  • 22%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 21%

    Clerical

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

  • 20%

    Communications and media

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

  • 19%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 13%

    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..

  • 55%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 54%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 54%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 54%

    Extent flexibility

    Bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.

  • 52%

    Visualization

    Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • 50%

    Colour discrimination

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

  • 50%

    Near vision

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

  • 46%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

  • 46%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 46%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 45%

    Control precision

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

  • 45%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 45%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 45%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 45%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 43%

    Multilimb coordination

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

  • 43%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 43%

    Auditory attention

    Pay attention to a certain sound when there are other distracting sounds.

  • 43%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 41%

    Trunk strength

    Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.


Activities

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

  • 87%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 82%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 73%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 68%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 68%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 65%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 60%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 59%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 58%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 57%

    Working with computers

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

  • 54%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 50%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 50%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 47%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 46%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 43%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 43%

    Guiding and directing staff

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

  • 42%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 41%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 39%

    Driving vehicles or equipment

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


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%

    Practical

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

  • 71%

    Analytical

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

  • 62%

    Administrative

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

  • 29%

    Creative

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

  • 29%

    Enterprising

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

  • 14%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 62%

    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.

  • 57%

    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.

  • 52%

    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.

  • 43%

    Achievement

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

  • 43%

    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.

  • 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.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 94%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 93%

    Loud or uncomfortable sounds

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

  • 93%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

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

  • 93%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 91%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 91%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 87%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 85%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 84%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

    Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.

  • 83%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 82%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 81%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 80%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 79%

    Indoors, not heat controlled

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

  • 78%

    Cramped work space

    Work in an awkward position or in cramped work spaces.

  • 78%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 75%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 75%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 75%

    Bending or twisting your body

    Spend time bending or twisting your body.

  • 74%

    Contact with people

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

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, 49-2096.00 - Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles.


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