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Intelligence and Policy Analysts

ANZSCO ID 2244

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
31,600
Future Growth
8.7%
Weekly Earnings
$2,278
Full-Time Share
79%
Female Share
62%
Average age
38
About this data

Summary

Intelligence and Policy Analysts collect and analyse information and data to produce intelligence and to develop and analyse policies guiding the design, implementation and modification of government and commercial operations and programs.

Tasks

  • determining organisational and client intelligence requirements

  • organising, collecting, collating and analysing data, and developing intelligence information such as electronic surveillance

  • compiling and disseminating intelligence information using briefings, maps, charts, reports and other methods

  • ascertaining the accuracy of data collected and reliability of sources

  • conducting threat and risk assessments and developing responses

  • liaising and consulting with program administrators and other interested parties to identify policy needs

  • reviewing existing policies and legislation to identify anomalies and out-of-date provisions

  • researching social, economic and industrial trends, and client expectations of programs and services provided

  • formulating and analysing policy options, preparing briefing papers and recommendations for policy changes, and advising on preferred options

  • assessing impacts, financial implications, interactions with other programs and political and administrative feasibility of policies

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
2244 Intelligence and Policy Analysts This occupation is Current selected
Unemployment Rate
Below average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
Interests
  • Analytical
  • Creative
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary

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 31,000 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
8.7%
(or 2,500 jobs)
From
28,500
in 2021
To
31,000
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 27,300
2012 24,800
2013 15,900
2014 16,600
2015 18,400
2016 25,300
2017 32,800
2018 27,000
2019 29,500
2020 35,600
2021 28,500
2026 31,000

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 80% of people employed as Intelligence and Policy Analysts work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 14 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).

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

    Median full-time earnings are $2,278 per week, this is much higher than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,874
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $2,621

    Median hourly earnings are $61, this is much 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. 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 Intelligence and Policy Analysts All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 2,278 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
Public Administration and Safety
77.4%
2
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
6.1%
3
Health Care and Social Assistance
4.5%
4
Other Services
3.2%
5
Other industries
8.6%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

20.5% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

18.6% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

13.5% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.5% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

7.4% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.0% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

31.1% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Intelligence and Policy Analysts All Jobs Average
NSW 20.5 31.6
VIC 18.6 25.6
QLD 13.5 20.0
SA 5.5 7.0
WA 7.4 10.8
TAS 2.0 2.0
NT 1.5 1.0
ACT 31.1 1.9


  • Around 87% of Intelligence and Policy Analysts live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    The Australian Capital Territory 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
38
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
62%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Intelligence and Policy Analysts is 38 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 62% of the workforce. This is 14 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 Intelligence and Policy Analysts All Jobs Average
15-19 0.1 5.0
20-24 3.8 9.3
25-34 34.3 22.9
35-44 29.0 22.0
45-54 20.1 21.6
55-59 7.2 9.0
60-64 3.7 6.0
65 and Over 1.9 4.2
Median Age 38 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 degree in intelligence operations, political science, international relations or another related field is usually needed to work as an Intelligence or Policy Analyst. Many workers have a postgraduate qualification.

Visit

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  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and 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 Intelligence and Policy Analysts All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 39.0 10.1
Bachelor degree 43.1 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 6.4 11.6
Certificate III/IV 3.8 21.1
Year 12 6.3 18.1
Year 11 0.6 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.8 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 Intelligence and Policy Analysts who have strong attention to detail, can communicate clearly with a wide variety of people and can work well in a team.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 68%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 68%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 66%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 66%

    Active listening

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

  • 64%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 61%

    Active learning

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

  • 55%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 55%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 55%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 55%

    Monitoring

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

  • 55%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 52%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 48%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 46%

    Time management

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

  • 46%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 46%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 45%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 41%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 41%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 39%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 86%

    English language

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

  • 82%

    Law and government

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

  • 73%

    Education and training

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

  • 70%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 68%

    Philosophy and theology

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

  • 68%

    History and archeology

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

  • 59%

    Geography

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

  • 59%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 58%

    Communications and media

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

  • 56%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 55%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 53%

    Administration and management

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

  • 52%

    Foreign language

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

  • 49%

    Clerical

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

  • 47%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 44%

    Psychology

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

  • 27%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 25%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 22%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 11%

    Telecommunications

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

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 68%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 68%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 68%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 68%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 66%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 61%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 61%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 55%

    Near vision

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

  • 54%

    Originality

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

  • 54%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 54%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 52%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 52%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 50%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 41%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 41%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

  • 39%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 34%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 34%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 34%

    Speed of recognition

    Quickly make sense of and organize things you can see like letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

Activities

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

  • 85%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 84%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 84%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 82%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 81%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 80%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 77%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 76%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 72%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 71%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 71%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 69%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 69%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 68%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 66%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 64%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 58%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 58%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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

  • 56%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 48%

    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.

  • 100%

    Analytical

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

  • 76%

    Creative

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

  • 62%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 33%

    Enterprising

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

  • 29%

    Administrative

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

  • 24%

    Practical

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

Values

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

  • 81%

    Achievement

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

  • 81%

    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.

  • 76%

    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.

  • 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.

  • 48%

    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%

    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:

  • 97%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 97%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 93%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 89%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 89%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 89%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 84%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 83%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 83%

    Contact with people

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

  • 80%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 78%

    Public speaking

    Talk to a group of people.

  • 74%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 70%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 67%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 65%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 65%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 59%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 57%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 52%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 49%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

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, 19-3094.00 - Political Scientists.

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