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Proof Readers

ANZSCO ID 599913

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
300
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
23%
Female Share
77%
Average age
53
About this data

Summary

Proof Readers read draft copies and proofs, detect errors and mark corrections to grammar, typing and composition.

Tasks

  • Reviews, proofs and edits content (written or digital) across a variety of media and industries; ensuring correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, usage, consistency and brand voice in the final product.

  • Ensures the accuracy of all referenced facts (e.g. dates, pages and values) and double-checks cross-referenced materials (e.g. websites and newspapers).

  • Reviews content and style across company-wide work to ensure campaign, product and brand consistency.

  • Attends team meetings, provides constructive editorial input and communicates with team members to yield consistent, accurate and high-quality work products.

  • Improves editing processes by evaluating and recommending changes to create efficiencies.

Characteristics

Job Type
Clerical And Administrative Workers
Skill Level
Lower skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
5999 Other Clerical & Administrative Workers
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary

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 Clerical & Administrative Workers, under the outlook section.

Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 23% of people employed as Proof Readers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 43 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 42 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to 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
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
31.9%
2
Information Media and Telecommunications
18.3%
3
Manufacturing
8.5%
4
Education and Training
8.5%
5
Other industries
23.1%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

32.4% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

29.1% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

20.6% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

8.1% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

6.1% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.4% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.0% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

2.4% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Proof Readers All Jobs Average
NSW 32.4 31.6
VIC 29.1 25.6
QLD 20.6 20.0
SA 8.1 7.0
WA 6.1 10.8
TAS 1.4 2.0
NT 0.0 1.0
ACT 2.4 1.9


  • Around 63% of Proof Readers live in capital cities, similar to the all jobs average of 62%.

    Victoria 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
53
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
77%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Proof Readers is 53 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 65 years and over.

    Females make up 77% of the workforce. This is 29 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 Proof Readers All Jobs Average
15-19 1.4 5.0
20-24 7.4 9.3
25-34 11.6 22.9
35-44 13.7 22.0
45-54 19.0 21.6
55-59 9.9 9.0
60-64 14.1 6.0
65 and Over 22.9 4.2
Median Age 53 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 Proof Reader. Although some workers have a university or Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in communications, media, literature or journalism.

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 Property Services 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 Proof Readers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 21.1 10.1
Bachelor degree 29.8 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 12.0 11.6
Certificate III/IV 6.6 21.1
Year 12 15.3 18.1
Year 11 6.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 9.1 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 Clerical and Administrative Workers who have good computer skills, can communicate clearly and can interact with a variety of people.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 61%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 57%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 45%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 45%

    Active listening

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

  • 43%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 39%

    Monitoring

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

  • 36%

    Time management

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

  • 34%

    Active learning

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

  • 34%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 32%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 30%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 27%

    Quality control analysis

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

  • 27%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 21%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 20%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 18%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 16%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 14%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 14%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 14%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 71%

    English language

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

  • 46%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 44%

    Communications and media

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

  • 41%

    Clerical

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

  • 31%

    Administration and management

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

  • 27%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 26%

    Philosophy and theology

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

  • 24%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 23%

    Geography

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

  • 21%

    Education and training

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

  • 17%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 16%

    Technical design

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

  • 14%

    Law and government

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

  • 13%

    History and archeology

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

  • 12%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 11%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 10%

    Psychology

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

  • 7%

    Foreign language

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

  • 7%

    Production and processing

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

  • 7%

    Telecommunications

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

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 61%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 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%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 43%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 43%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 43%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 41%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 39%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 37%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 37%

    Perceptual speed

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

  • 36%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 34%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 34%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 23%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 21%

    Visualization

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

  • 20%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 18%

    Speed of recognition

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

  • 14%

    Mathematics

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

Activities

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

  • 61%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 58%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 54%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 54%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 52%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 50%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 47%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 43%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 37%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 37%

    Working with computers

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

  • 37%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 36%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 33%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 32%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 30%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 29%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 23%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 22%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

  • 15%

    Leading and encouraging a team

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

  • 6%

    Working with electronic equipment

    Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing electronic devices and equipment.

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%

    Administrative

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

  • 48%

    Creative

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

  • 38%

    Enterprising

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

  • 38%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 24%

    Analytical

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

  • 19%

    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.

  • 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.

  • 52%

    Achievement

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

  • 52%

    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%

    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.

  • 52%

    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.

  • 36%

    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:

  • 98%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 97%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 95%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 95%

    Contact with people

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

  • 94%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 94%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 93%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 91%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 90%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 85%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 80%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 76%

    Loud or uncomfortable sounds

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

  • 75%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 73%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 72%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 64%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 62%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 61%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 53%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 52%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

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, 43-9081.00 - Proofreaders and Copy Markers.

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