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Occupational & Environmental Health Professionals

ANZSCO ID 2513

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
29,400
Future Growth
15.9%
Weekly Earnings
$1,983
Full-Time Share
82%
Female Share
44%
Average age
44
About this data

Summary

Occupational and Environmental Health Professionals develop, implement and evaluate policies and programs to monitor environmental health and occupational health and safety and related legislation to ensure safe and healthy working conditions, and assist injured staff through the workers' compensation and rehabilitation process.

Tasks

  • developing, implementing and reviewing environmental health management plans and occupational health and safety plans

  • preparing and implementing plans and strategies for the safe, economic and suitable disposal of commercial, industrial, medical and household wastes

  • advising on and enforcing legislation, implementing prevention programs and strategies for communicable diseases, food safety, waste water treatment and disposal systems, recreation and domestic water quality, contaminated and hazardous substances, and minimising air, sea, water and noise pollution to improve health outcomes

  • identifying hazards, and assessing and controlling risks in the workplace

  • developing, implementing and monitoring programs minimising workplace and environmental pollution involving chemical and physical hazards

  • promoting ergonomic principles within the workplace such as matching furniture, equipment and work activities to the needs of employees

  • inspecting and auditing workplaces, processes, plant, and chemical and physical hazards for legislative compliance

  • training employees in personal protective equipment and safe working procedures

  • recording and investigating injuries and equipment damage, and reporting safety performance

  • coordinating the return of injured workers into the workplace

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
2513 Occupational & Environmental Health Professionals This occupation is Current selected
Unemployment Rate
Average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Administrative
  • Helping
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 very strongly
  • is likely to reach 33,100 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
15.9%
(or 4,500 jobs)
From
28,600
in 2021
To
33,100
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 25,800
2012 27,300
2013 23,900
2014 29,700
2015 22,800
2016 20,500
2017 22,600
2018 31,100
2019 23,600
2020 32,400
2021 28,600
2026 33,100

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 82% of people employed as Occupational & Environmental Health Professionals work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 16 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 45 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 $1,983 per week, this is much higher than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,638
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $2,686

    Median hourly earnings are $52, this is 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 Occupational & Environmental Health Professionals All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,983 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
26.3%
2
Construction
13.3%
3
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
10.9%
4
Health Care and Social Assistance
10.9%
5
Other industries
38.6%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

24.8% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

21.7% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

23.8% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

16.6% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.2% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

2.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Occupational & Environmental Health Professionals All Jobs Average
NSW 24.8 31.6
VIC 21.7 25.6
QLD 23.8 20.0
SA 7.3 7.0
WA 16.6 10.8
TAS 2.2 2.0
NT 1.5 1.0
ACT 2.0 1.9


  • Around 41% of Occupational & Environmental Health Professionals 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.

    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
44
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
44%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Occupational and Environmental Health Professionals is 44 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 44% of the workforce. This is 4 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 Occupational & Environmental Health Professionals All Jobs Average
15-19 0.3 5.0
20-24 2.9 9.3
25-34 22.2 22.9
35-44 26.7 22.0
45-54 27.0 21.6
55-59 11.1 9.0
60-64 6.8 6.0
65 and Over 3.0 4.2
Median Age 44 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 formal qualification in occupational health and safety, environmental health, environmental science or another related field is usually needed to work as an Occupational and Environmental Health Professional. Vocational Education and Training (VET) and university are both common study pathways.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Health Industry and Public Sector 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 Occupational & Environmental Health Professionals All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 19.0 10.1
Bachelor degree 26.9 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 26.6 11.6
Certificate III/IV 15.9 21.1
Year 12 6.5 18.1
Year 11 1.6 4.8
Year 10 and below 3.6 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 Occupational & Environmental Health Professionals who are caring and empathetic and can work well in a team, with the ability to communicate with a diverse range of people.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 57%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 57%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 57%

    Active learning

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

  • 55%

    Active listening

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

  • 55%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 55%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 55%

    Monitoring

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

  • 55%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 54%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 54%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 52%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 50%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 50%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 50%

    Quality control analysis

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

  • 50%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 48%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 48%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.

  • 46%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 46%

    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.

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 79%

    Education and training

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

  • 71%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 68%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 66%

    English language

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

  • 65%

    Chemistry

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

  • 63%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 62%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 60%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 60%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 60%

    Clerical

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

  • 58%

    Law and government

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

  • 58%

    Psychology

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

  • 56%

    Administration and management

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

  • 55%

    Mechanical

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

  • 55%

    Physics

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

  • 54%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 53%

    Technical design

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

  • 52%

    Building and construction

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

  • 48%

    Production and processing

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

  • 43%

    Communications and media

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

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 66%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 64%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 59%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 57%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 57%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 57%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 55%

    Near vision

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

  • 54%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 54%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 54%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 52%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 50%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 50%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 46%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 45%

    Perceptual speed

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

  • 45%

    Originality

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

  • 45%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 41%

    Mathematics

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

  • 41%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

Activities

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

  • 79%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 76%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 76%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 76%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 75%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 74%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 74%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 71%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 71%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 71%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 70%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 67%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 67%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 65%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 64%

    Influencing people

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

  • 64%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 62%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 60%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 55%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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

  • 51%

    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.

  • 95%

    Analytical

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

  • 76%

    Administrative

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

  • 57%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 57%

    Practical

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

  • 38%

    Enterprising

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

  • 19%

    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.

  • 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.

  • 74%

    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.

  • 71%

    Achievement

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

  • 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.

  • 67%

    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.

  • 67%

    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.

Demands

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

  • 97%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 96%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 93%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 90%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 87%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

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

  • 87%

    Contact with people

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

  • 86%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 84%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 84%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 84%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 83%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 82%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 81%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 78%

    Indoors, not heat controlled

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

  • 78%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 76%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 76%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 72%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 72%

    Loud or uncomfortable sounds

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

  • 72%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

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, 29-9011.00 - Occupational Health and Safety Specialists.

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