Quantity Surveyors

ANZSCO ID 233213

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
2,800
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
87%
Female Share
18%
Average age
39

Summary

Quantity Surveyors estimate and monitor construction costs from the project feasibility stage, through tender preparation, to the construction period and beyond.

Also known as: Construction Economist.

A bachelor degree in building surveying, construction management or another related field is usually needed to work as a Quantity Surveyor. In some states, training may also be available through Vocational Education and Training (VET).

Tasks

  • Studies architectural and engineering drawings and specifications to estimate total costs, and prepare detailed cost plans and estimates as tools to assist in budgetary control.

  • Monitors changes to designs, assesses effects on cost, and measures, values and negotiates variations to designs.

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Medium

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, Civil Engineering Professionals, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 87% of people employed as Quantity Surveyors work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 21 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).

    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
52.1%
2
Construction
36.0%
3
Manufacturing
2.1%
4
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services
1.9%
5
Other industries
6.0%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

32.6% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

20.4% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

22.6% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

4.5% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

15.5% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

0.4% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

2.0% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

2.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Quantity Surveyors All Jobs Average
NSW 32.6 31.6
VIC 20.4 25.6
QLD 22.6 20.0
SA 4.5 7.0
WA 15.5 10.8
TAS 0.4 2.0
NT 2.0 1.0
ACT 2.0 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
39
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
18%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Quantity Surveyors 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 18% of the workforce. This is 30 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 Quantity Surveyors All Jobs Average
15-19 0.8 5.0
20-24 7.7 9.3
25-34 29.9 22.9
35-44 24.8 22.0
45-54 18.1 21.6
55-59 6.8 9.0
60-64 5.7 6.0
65 and Over 6.3 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

A bachelor degree in building surveying, construction management or another related field is usually needed to work as a Quantity Surveyor. In some states, training may also be available through Vocational Education and Training (VET).

Registration or licencing may be required.

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 Resources and Infrastructure 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 Quantity Surveyors All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 11.4 10.1
Bachelor degree 63.6 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 10.5 11.6
Certificate III/IV 5.2 21.1
Year 12 8.2 18.1
Year 11 0.1 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.9 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 Civil Engineering Professionals who have a positive and enthusiastic attitude and connect well with others.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 61%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 61%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 59%

    Active listening

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

  • 59%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 55%

    Active learning

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

  • 55%

    Management of financial resources

    Figuring out how money is needed to do something, and keeping track of the money that's being spent.

  • 54%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 54%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 54%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 54%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 52%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 52%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 52%

    Monitoring

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

  • 48%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 46%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 46%

    Management of material resources

    Providing the right equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do work.

  • 46%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 43%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 43%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 43%

    Time management

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


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 75%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 68%

    Building and construction

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

  • 66%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 64%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 63%

    Administration and management

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

  • 60%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 58%

    English language

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

  • 57%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 51%

    Technical design

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

  • 49%

    Production and processing

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

  • 47%

    Clerical

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

  • 47%

    Law and government

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

  • 45%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 44%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 44%

    Mechanical

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

  • 44%

    Education and training

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

  • 34%

    Communications and media

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

  • 33%

    Physics

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

  • 31%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 29%

    Transportation

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 61%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 61%

    Mathematics

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

  • 61%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 59%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 59%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 59%

    Near vision

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

  • 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.

  • 55%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 55%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 55%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 54%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 52%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 46%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 45%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 43%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 43%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 43%

    Originality

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

  • 41%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 39%

    Perceptual speed

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


Activities

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

  • 76%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 74%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 73%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 73%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 71%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 70%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 69%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 68%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 68%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 68%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 67%

    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.

  • 62%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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

  • 62%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 62%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 59%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 58%

    Working with computers

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

  • 58%

    Leading and encouraging a team

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

  • 56%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 56%

    Training and teaching others

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


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.

  • 86%

    Administrative

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

  • 86%

    Enterprising

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

  • 43%

    Practical

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

  • 38%

    Analytical

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

  • 19%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 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.
  • 67%

    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%

    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.

  • 64%

    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.

  • 57%

    Achievement

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

  • 57%

    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.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 100%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 94%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 93%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 92%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 90%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 87%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 87%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 86%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 85%

    Contact with people

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

  • 84%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 84%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 82%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 80%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 77%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 77%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 72%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 70%

    Repeating same tasks

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

  • 69%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 64%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 58%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

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, 13-1051.00 - Cost Estimators.


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