Bar Usefuls and Bussers

ANZSCO ID 431911

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
840
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
8%
Female Share
13%
Average age
21

Summary

Bar Usefuls or Bussers clean and maintain public areas in bars, clubs or dining establishments by collecting and returning dishes, cutlery and glasses to the kitchen or bar, wiping tables, bars and spillages, and emptying bins and ashtrays.

Also known as: Bar Back or Glassie.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Bar Useful or Busser. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in a related area like hospitality.

Tasks

  • Prepares service areas by cleaning and laying tables.

  • Removes used plates, cutlery and glassware from tables, wipes up bar areas and tables.

  • Empties rubbish containers and ashtrays.

  • Washes up spills or sweeps up broken glass.

Characteristics

Job Type
Community And Personal Service Workers
Skill Level
Entry level
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Administrative
Physical Demand
  • Light
  • Medium
  • Heavy

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, Other Hospitality Workers, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 8% of people employed as Bar Usefuls and Bussers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 58 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 44 hours per week in their main job. This is the same as the all jobs average.

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


Industries

Main industries

1
Accommodation and Food Services
86.3%
2
Arts and Recreation Services
9.0%
3
Other Services
0.7%
4
Administrative and Support Services
0.6%
5
Other industries
2.0%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

28.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

17.7% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

26.2% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

8.0% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

17.0% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.4% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.2% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Bar Usefuls and Bussers All Jobs Average
NSW 28.1 31.6
VIC 17.7 25.6
QLD 26.2 20.0
SA 8.0 7.0
WA 17.0 10.8
TAS 1.5 2.0
NT 0.4 1.0
ACT 1.2 1.9


  • Around 75% of Bar Usefuls and Bussers live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Queensland and Queensland 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
21
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
13%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Bar Usefuls and Bussers is 21 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 20 to 24 years.

    Females make up 13% of the workforce. This is 35 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 Bar Usefuls and Bussers All Jobs Average
15-19 34.2 5.0
20-24 39.2 9.3
25-34 18.8 22.9
35-44 2.6 22.0
45-54 2.6 21.6
55-59 0.9 9.0
60-64 0.8 6.0
65 and Over 0.8 4.2
Median Age 21 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 a Bar Useful or Busser. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in a related area like hospitality.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Tourism, Travel and Hospitality 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 Bar Usefuls and Bussers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 1.8 10.1
Bachelor degree 12.6 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 5.8 11.6
Certificate III/IV 11.1 21.1
Year 12 50.5 18.1
Year 11 6.7 4.8
Year 10 and below 11.4 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

We're working on this content

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 34%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 32%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 30%

    Active listening

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

  • 30%

    Monitoring

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

  • 30%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 30%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 29%

    Time management

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

  • 27%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 25%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 25%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 25%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 25%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 25%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 23%

    Active learning

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

  • 23%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 23%

    Quality control analysis

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

  • 21%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 21%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 18%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 45%

    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.

  • 35%

    Food production

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

  • 31%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 29%

    Education and training

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

  • 28%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 24%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 23%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 23%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 23%

    Administration and management

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

  • 22%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 21%

    Psychology

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

  • 20%

    Communications and media

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

  • 17%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 14%

    Law and government

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

  • 14%

    Foreign language

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

  • 13%

    Clerical

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

  • 13%

    Transportation

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

  • 9%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 7%

    Telecommunications

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 46%

    Manual dexterity

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

  • 46%

    Trunk strength

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

  • 46%

    Extent flexibility

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

  • 45%

    Static strength

    Lift, push, pull, or carry things.

  • 41%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 41%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 41%

    Stamina

    Exercise for a long time without getting winded or out of breath.

  • 39%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 39%

    Multilimb coordination

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

  • 39%

    Near vision

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

  • 37%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 37%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 36%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 32%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 32%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 30%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 30%

    Dynamic strength

    Exercise for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

  • 30%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 30%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 29%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.


Activities

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

  • 63%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 61%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 59%

    Working with the public

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

  • 53%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 51%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 50%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 49%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 47%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 47%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 46%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 46%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 45%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 43%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 41%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 40%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 38%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 36%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 36%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

    Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.

  • 34%

    Leading and encouraging a team

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

  • 33%

    Checking compliance with standards

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


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.

  • 67%

    Administrative

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

  • 52%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 38%

    Enterprising

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

  • 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.
  • 76%

    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%

    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.

  • 29%

    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.

  • 24%

    Achievement

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

  • 24%

    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.

  • 24%

    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:
  • 96%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 94%

    Contact with people

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

  • 91%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 90%

    Walking and running

    Spend time walking and running.

  • 90%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 86%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 86%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 78%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 74%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 74%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 73%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 71%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 71%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 68%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 68%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 68%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 66%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 66%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 64%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 60%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

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, 35-9011.00 - Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers.


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