Surveyor's Assistants

ANZSCO ID 821915

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
1,300
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
58%
Female Share
9%
Average age
36

Summary

Surveyors' Assistants perform routine tasks to assist Surveyors and Geologists by transporting, assembling, maintaining and laying out prospecting and surveying equipment, and collecting and labelling samples.

Specialisations: Geological Survey Field Assistant, Seismic Survey Assistant.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Surveyor's Assistant. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification or a university degree in surveying or spatial information services.

Tasks

  • Assists with the measuring of distances, angles and variations in terrain as directed by a surveyor.

  • Places pegs and other survey marks as directed.

  • Performs various duties to assist surveyor, such as establishing plumb marks.

Characteristics

Job Type
Labourers
Skill Level
Entry level
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Administrative
Physical Demand
  • Medium
  • Heavy

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 Construction and Mining Labourers, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 58% of people employed as Surveyor's Assistants work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 8 percentage points below 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
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
58.5%
2
Mining
10.5%
3
Construction
8.5%
4
Public Administration and Safety
7.9%
5
Other industries
13.4%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

35.4% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

20.5% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

19.4% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

4.9% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

16.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.8% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.8% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Surveyor's Assistants All Jobs Average
NSW 35.4 31.6
VIC 20.5 25.6
QLD 19.4 20.0
SA 4.9 7.0
WA 16.2 10.8
TAS 1.8 2.0
NT 0.8 1.0
ACT 1.0 1.9


  • Around 43% of Surveyor's Assistants live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Western Australia and New South Wales have a large share of employment relative to their 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
36
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
9%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Surveyor's Assistants is 36 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 20 to 24 years.

    Females make up 9% of the workforce. This is 39 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 Surveyor's Assistants All Jobs Average
15-19 6.3 5.0
20-24 22.0 9.3
25-34 20.0 22.9
35-44 14.1 22.0
45-54 14.1 21.6
55-59 6.8 9.0
60-64 7.7 6.0
65 and Over 9.1 4.2
Median Age 36 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 Surveyor's Assistant. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification or a university degree in surveying or spatial information services.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore 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 Surveyor's Assistants All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 3.9 10.1
Bachelor degree 16.8 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 10.8 11.6
Certificate III/IV 18.4 21.1
Year 12 31.3 18.1
Year 11 4.5 4.8
Year 10 and below 14.2 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 Construction and Mining Labourers who are reliable, hardworking and can work independently.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 57%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 55%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 55%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 54%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 52%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 52%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 52%

    Time management

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

  • 52%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 52%

    Monitoring

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

  • 50%

    Active listening

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

  • 50%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 50%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 48%

    Active learning

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

  • 48%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 48%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 48%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 48%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 41%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 41%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 39%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 82%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 80%

    Geography

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

  • 73%

    Technical design

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

  • 70%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 68%

    Education and training

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

  • 67%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 67%

    Law and government

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

  • 66%

    Administration and management

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

  • 64%

    Building and construction

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

  • 62%

    Clerical

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

  • 62%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 59%

    English language

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

  • 57%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 52%

    History and archeology

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

  • 48%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 45%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 42%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 41%

    Physics

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

  • 39%

    Mechanical

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

  • 35%

    Telecommunications

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 64%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 63%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 63%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 61%

    Mathematics

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

  • 61%

    Near vision

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

  • 61%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 55%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 55%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 55%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 54%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 54%

    Visualization

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

  • 52%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 52%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 50%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 50%

    Depth perception

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

  • 50%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 50%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 46%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 46%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.


Activities

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

  • 82%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 82%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 80%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 79%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 75%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 75%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 74%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 74%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 74%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 73%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 71%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 69%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 69%

    Coaching and developing others

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

  • 69%

    Scheduling work and activities

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

  • 68%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.

  • 68%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 65%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 64%

    Working with computers

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

  • 64%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 63%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use 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%

    Practical

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

  • 71%

    Administrative

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

  • 71%

    Analytical

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

  • 48%

    Creative

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

  • 29%

    Enterprising

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

  • 19%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.


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.

  • 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.

  • 57%

    Achievement

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

  • 57%

    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.

  • 57%

    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.

  • 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.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 99%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 98%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 97%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 97%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 92%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 86%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 86%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 84%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 84%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

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

  • 82%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 81%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 81%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 81%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 79%

    Contact with people

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

  • 79%

    Repeating same tasks

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

  • 76%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 76%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 75%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

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

  • 74%

    Very hot or cold temperatures

    Work in very hot or cold temperatures.

  • 72%

    Unstructured work

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

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, 17-1022.00 - Surveyors.


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