Deck Hands

ANZSCO ID 899211

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
2,700
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
78%
Female Share
12%
Average age
39

Summary

Deck Hands perform maintenance and lookout tasks aboard ships.

Specialisations: Barge Hand, Ferry Hand, Tug Hand.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Deck Hand. Although some workers have a certificate I, II or III in maritime operations or aquaculture.

Tasks

  • Handles ropes and wires, and operates mooring equipment when berthing and unberthing.

  • Stands lookout watches at sea and adjusts the ship's course as directed.

  • Assists with cargo operations using on-board equipment and stows and secures cargo.

  • Patrols ships to ensure safety of the vessel, cargo and passengers.

  • Performs routine maintenance and checks on deck equipment, cargo gear, rigging, and lifesaving and fire fighting appliances.

Characteristics

Job Type
Labourers
Skill Level
Lower skill
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
  • 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, Deck and Fishing Hands, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 78% of people employed as Deck Hands work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 12 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 58 hours per week in their main job. This is 14 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
66.6%
2
Mining
4.0%
3
Public Administration and Safety
3.8%
4
Administrative and Support Services
2.5%
5
Other industries
13.7%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

27.4% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

9.7% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

27.6% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.8% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

20.3% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

6.7% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.9% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.3% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Deck Hands All Jobs Average
NSW 27.4 31.6
VIC 9.7 25.6
QLD 27.6 20.0
SA 5.8 7.0
WA 20.3 10.8
TAS 6.7 2.0
NT 1.9 1.0
ACT 0.3 1.9


  • Around 58% of Deck Hands live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Western Australia, Queensland 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
39
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
12%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Deck Hands is 39 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 12% of the workforce. This is 36 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 Deck Hands All Jobs Average
15-19 5.1 5.0
20-24 11.3 9.3
25-34 24.8 22.9
35-44 20.7 22.0
45-54 22.4 21.6
55-59 8.6 9.0
60-64 4.4 6.0
65 and Over 2.6 4.2
Median Age 39 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 Deck Hand. Although some workers have a certificate I, II or III in maritime operations or aquaculture.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Seafood Industry 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 Deck Hands All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 0.6 10.1
Bachelor degree 8.5 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 12.2 11.6
Certificate III/IV 35.9 21.1
Year 12 18.7 18.1
Year 11 5.5 4.8
Year 10 and below 18.5 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 Deck and Fishing Hands who are fit, reliable and willing to take direction.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 54%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 50%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 45%

    Monitoring

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

  • 45%

    Quality control analysis

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

  • 45%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 45%

    Repairing

    Fixing machines or systems.

  • 45%

    Troubleshooting

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

  • 43%

    Active listening

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

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 43%

    Equipment maintenance

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

  • 43%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 43%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 43%

    Time management

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

  • 41%

    Active learning

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

  • 41%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 41%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 41%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 39%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 36%

    Equipment selection

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


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 51%

    Administration and management

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

  • 47%

    Mechanical

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

  • 45%

    Education and training

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

  • 44%

    Chemistry

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

  • 42%

    Transportation

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

  • 39%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 39%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 39%

    English language

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

  • 37%

    Physics

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

  • 36%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 35%

    Geography

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

  • 34%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 29%

    Production and processing

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

  • 27%

    Law and government

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

  • 26%

    Food production

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

  • 25%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 25%

    Clerical

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

  • 24%

    Communications and media

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

  • 20%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 19%

    Telecommunications

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 63%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 55%

    Depth perception

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

  • 55%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 55%

    Auditory attention

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

  • 55%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 54%

    Control precision

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

  • 54%

    Multilimb coordination

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

  • 54%

    Near vision

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

  • 50%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 48%

    Colour discrimination

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

  • 48%

    Hearing sensitivity

    Tell the difference between sounds.

  • 48%

    Extent flexibility

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

  • 46%

    Perceptual speed

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

  • 46%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 45%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 45%

    Manual dexterity

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

  • 45%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 45%

    Balance

    Keep your balance or stay upright.

  • 43%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 43%

    Inductive reasoning

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


Activities

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

  • 80%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 78%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 72%

    Controlling equipment or machines

    Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).

  • 69%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 64%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 63%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 62%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 62%

    Working with mechanical equipment

    Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment.

  • 60%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 59%

    Driving vehicles or equipment

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

  • 57%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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

  • 56%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 55%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 53%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 53%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 51%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 50%

    Guiding and directing staff

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

  • 46%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 45%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 34%

    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.

  • 71%

    Administrative

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

  • 48%

    Enterprising

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

  • 43%

    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.

  • 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.
  • 81%

    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.

  • 52%

    Achievement

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

  • 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.

  • 45%

    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%

    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.

  • 38%

    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:
  • 100%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 100%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

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

  • 99%

    Loud or uncomfortable sounds

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

  • 99%

    Very hot or cold temperatures

    Work in very hot or cold temperatures.

  • 92%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 89%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 88%

    Contact with people

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

  • 87%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 87%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 86%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 84%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 84%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 83%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 81%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 80%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 77%

    Bending or twisting your body

    Spend time bending or twisting your body.

  • 76%

    Minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings

    Be exposed to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings.

  • 75%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 74%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 74%

    Walking and running

    Spend time walking and running.

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, 53-5011.00 - Sailors and Marine Oilers.


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