Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers

ANZSCO ID 2111

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
3,900
Future Growth
0%
Weekly Earnings
$2,073
Full-Time Share
35%
Female Share
50%
Average age
33

Summary

Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers entertain by portraying roles in productions, performing and composing dances, and performing a variety of other acts.

Tasks

  • reading scripts and undertaking research to gain understanding of parts, themes and characterisations

  • learning lines and cues, rehearsing parts, and applying vocal and movement skills to the development of characterisation

  • preparing for performances through rehearsals under the instruction and guidance of production directors

  • acting parts and portraying roles as developed in rehearsals in film, television, radio and stage productions

  • practising dance routines and interpreting the choreographic content of the production

  • performing dances for audience entertainment, coordinating body movements and facial expression, usually with musical accompaniment

  • composing and notating ballet compositions and other dance routines

  • creating and performing individual performance routines

  • rehearsing, auditioning and travelling between entertainment venues

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Above average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Creative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Light
  • Medium
  • Heavy
  • Very Heavy

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 in this occupation is likely to remain stable.

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
0%
(or 0 jobs)
From
3,500
in 2021
To
3,500
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 7,100
2012 4,700
2013 4,400
2014 7,400
2015 6,700
2016 7,400
2017 7,100
2018 9,100
2019 7,800
2020 5,000
2021 3,500
2026 3,500

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 32% of people employed as Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 34 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).

    Median full-time earnings are $2,073 per week, this is much higher than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $2,048
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $2,789

    Median hourly earnings are $53, 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. 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 Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 2,073 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
Arts and Recreation Services
77.3%
2
Health Care and Social Assistance
9.1%
3
Education and Training
7.6%
4
Information Media and Telecommunications
3.0%
5
Other industries
4.5%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

33.5% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

30.4% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

19.2% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

4.7% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

8.8% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.3% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.7% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.3% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers All Jobs Average
NSW 33.5 31.6
VIC 30.4 25.6
QLD 19.2 20.0
SA 4.7 7.0
WA 8.8 10.8
TAS 1.3 2.0
NT 0.7 1.0
ACT 1.3 1.9


  • Around 74% of Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers live in capital cities, compared with 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
33
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
50%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers is 33 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 50% of the workforce. This is similar to 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 Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers All Jobs Average
15-19 7.7 5.0
20-24 17.3 9.3
25-34 29.3 22.9
35-44 18.8 22.0
45-54 14.2 21.6
55-59 5.0 9.0
60-64 3.6 6.0
65 and Over 4.0 4.2
Median Age 33 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 high level of performance skill is needed to work as an Actor, Dancer or Entertainer. Some workers also have formal qualifications. University and Vocational Education and Training (VET) 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 Creative Arts and Culture 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 Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 5.6 10.1
Bachelor degree 26.8 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 15.9 11.6
Certificate III/IV 11.2 21.1
Year 12 26.6 18.1
Year 11 4.5 4.8
Year 10 and below 9.3 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 Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers who have strong people skills, can communicate well with diverse audiences and are reliable.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 59%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 55%

    Active listening

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

  • 52%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 52%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 52%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 48%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 48%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 48%

    Monitoring

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

  • 45%

    Active learning

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

  • 43%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 43%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 43%

    Time management

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

  • 39%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 39%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 39%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 36%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 36%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 34%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 25%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.

  • 23%

    Systems analysis

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


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 83%

    Fine arts

    Compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • 67%

    English language

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

  • 54%

    Communications and media

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

  • 51%

    Psychology

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

  • 45%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 41%

    Philosophy and theology

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

  • 37%

    History and archeology

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

  • 37%

    Education and training

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

  • 30%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 26%

    Administration and management

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

  • 26%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 24%

    Geography

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

  • 23%

    Technical design

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

  • 23%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 22%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

  • 19%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 17%

    Production and processing

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

  • 14%

    Mechanical

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

  • 14%

    Clerical

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

  • 13%

    Law and government

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 66%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 61%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

  • 59%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 59%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 52%

    Near vision

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

  • 52%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 52%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 50%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 46%

    Originality

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

  • 46%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 46%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 46%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 45%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 43%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 43%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 43%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 39%

    Visualization

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

  • 39%

    Whole body coordination

    Move your arms, legs, and body together.

  • 38%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 36%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.


Activities

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

  • 87%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 83%

    Working with the public

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

  • 79%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 68%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 63%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 58%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 58%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 57%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 57%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 57%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 56%

    Scheduling work and activities

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

  • 56%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 54%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 54%

    Leading and encouraging a team

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

  • 52%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 47%

    Coaching and developing others

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

  • 46%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 44%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 43%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 43%

    Documenting or recording information

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


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%

    Creative

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

  • 67%

    Enterprising

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

  • 43%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 38%

    Practical

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

  • 24%

    Administrative

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

  • 19%

    Analytical

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


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 86%

    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.

  • 81%

    Achievement

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

  • 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%

    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.

  • 60%

    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.

  • 29%

    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:
  • 93%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 92%

    Contact with people

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

  • 92%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 87%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 85%

    Public speaking

    Talk to a group of people.

  • 85%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 83%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 78%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 77%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 71%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 70%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 70%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 70%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 70%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 67%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 66%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 63%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 62%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 59%

    Bright or inadequate lighting

    Work in extremely bright or dark lighting conditions.

  • 53%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

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, 27-2011.00 - Actors.


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