Railway Signal Operators

ANZSCO ID 712917

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
1,100
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
89%
Female Share
10%
Average age
45

Summary

Railway Signal Operators control the movement of trains, and assemble and disassemble trains within a marshalling yard.

Also known as: Railway Switching and Signalling Operator.

Specialisations: Railway Shunter, Railway Yard Assistant.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Railway Signal Operator. Although some workers have a certificate III or IV in mechanical or electrical rail signalling.

Tasks

  • Directs trains within marshalling yards.

  • Breaks apart and join train wagons and carriages.

  • Places wagons, carriages and engines into sidings.

  • Directs outgoing trains to the main line.

  • May conduct safety checks.


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 Stationary Plant Operators, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 89% of people employed as Railway Signal Operators work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 23 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 46 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
Transport, Postal and Warehousing
62.5%
2
Financial and Insurance Services
10.0%
3
Public Administration and Safety
7.4%
4
Manufacturing
6.8%
5
Other industries
11.9%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

33.4% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

22.3% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

27.3% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

4.5% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

10.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.4% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.6% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.3% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Railway Signal Operators All Jobs Average
NSW 33.4 31.6
VIC 22.3 25.6
QLD 27.3 20.0
SA 4.5 7.0
WA 10.2 10.8
TAS 1.4 2.0
NT 0.6 1.0
ACT 0.3 1.9


  • Around 54% of Railway Signal Operators live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Queensland has a large share of employment relative to its 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
45
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
10%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Railway Signal Operators is 45 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 10% of the workforce. This is 38 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 Railway Signal Operators All Jobs Average
15-19 0.3 5.0
20-24 6.5 9.3
25-34 18.7 22.9
35-44 22.2 22.0
45-54 27.4 21.6
55-59 13.9 9.0
60-64 8.2 6.0
65 and Over 2.8 4.2
Median Age 45 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 Railway Signal Operator. Although some workers have a certificate III or IV in mechanical or electrical rail signalling.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student 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 Railway Signal Operators All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 0.3 10.1
Bachelor degree 3.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 5.5 11.6
Certificate III/IV 31.3 21.1
Year 12 21.6 18.1
Year 11 8.9 4.8
Year 10 and below 28.8 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 Stationary Plant Operators who communicate well with others, are polite, courteous and reliable.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 46%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 46%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 43%

    Monitoring

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

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 39%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 39%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 39%

    Time management

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

  • 39%

    Troubleshooting

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

  • 37%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 37%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 37%

    Quality control analysis

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

  • 37%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 36%

    Active listening

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

  • 36%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 36%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 34%

    Active learning

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

  • 32%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 32%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 32%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 30%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 61%

    Transportation

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

  • 52%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 50%

    Mechanical

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

  • 47%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 47%

    Education and training

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

  • 38%

    Law and government

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

  • 37%

    Administration and management

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

  • 36%

    English language

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

  • 34%

    Psychology

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

  • 34%

    Clerical

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

  • 28%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 28%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 27%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 26%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 24%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 24%

    Production and processing

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

  • 20%

    Physics

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

  • 14%

    Chemistry

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

  • 13%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 13%

    Communications and media

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 52%

    Control precision

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

  • 52%

    Extent flexibility

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

  • 50%

    Auditory attention

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

  • 50%

    Reaction time

    Quickly move your hand, finger, or foot when a sound, light, picture or something else appears.

  • 48%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 48%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 46%

    Multilimb coordination

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

  • 46%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 45%

    Near vision

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

  • 45%

    Trunk strength

    Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.

  • 43%

    Perceptual speed

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

  • 43%

    Whole body coordination

    Move your arms, legs, and body together.

  • 43%

    Balance

    Keep your balance or stay upright.

  • 43%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 43%

    Manual dexterity

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

  • 41%

    Colour discrimination

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

  • 41%

    Depth perception

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

  • 38%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 34%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.


Activities

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

  • 82%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 75%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 74%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 74%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 69%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 68%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 66%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 60%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 59%

    Controlling equipment or machines

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

  • 58%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 58%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 56%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 55%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 54%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 54%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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

  • 54%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 52%

    Driving vehicles or equipment

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

  • 51%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 50%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 48%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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


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.

  • 48%

    Administrative

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

  • 33%

    Enterprising

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

  • 19%

    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.
  • 76%

    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.

  • 62%

    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%

    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.

  • 43%

    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%

    Achievement

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

  • 29%

    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.

  • 98%

    Loud or uncomfortable sounds

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

  • 97%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 96%

    Dangerous equipment

    Work near dangerous equipment like saws, machinery with open moving parts, or moving traffic.

  • 94%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 93%

    Very hot or cold temperatures

    Work in very hot or cold temperatures.

  • 88%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

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

  • 88%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 87%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 87%

    Contact with people

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

  • 87%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

    Work in a closed vehicle (e.g., car).

  • 85%

    Bright or inadequate lighting

    Work in extremely bright or dark lighting conditions.

  • 85%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 85%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 84%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 83%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 83%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 82%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 79%

    Dangerous conditions

    Work near dangers like high voltage electricity, flammable material, explosives or chemicals.

  • 77%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

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, 53-4021.00 - Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators.


Links and downloads

Back to top