Clay Products Machine Operators

ANZSCO ID 711111

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
630
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
93%
Female Share
3%
Average age
43

Summary

Clay Products Machine Operators operate machines to manufacture clay products, such as bricks, tiles, insulators, porcelain and pottery, by shaping and firing clay.

Specialisations: Brick Extruder Operator, Porcelain Turner, Slip Caster.

Formal qualifications are not usually required to work as a Clay Products Machine Operator. Some workers have a certificate II in manufactured mineral products.

Tasks

  • Monitors the flow of clay and other raw materials and products into machines, and adjusts valves and controls to specifications.

  • Positions clay and stone on machines to be cut and worked.

  • Operates concrete mixing, stacking and splitting machines.

  • Sets up and installs moulds and other machine fixtures.

Characteristics

Job Type
Machinery Operators And Drivers
Skill Level
Lower skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Creative
Physical Demand
  • Medium
  • Heavy
  • Very 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, Clay, Concrete, Glass & Stone Machine Operators, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 93% of people employed as Clay Products Machine Operators work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 27 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
Manufacturing
71.7%
2
Construction
13.7%
3
Wholesale Trade
5.0%
4
Administrative and Support Services
1.6%
5
Other industries
4.3%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

24.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

23.6% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

12.5% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.1% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

29.1% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.7% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.3% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Clay Products Machine Operators All Jobs Average
NSW 24.1 31.6
VIC 23.6 25.6
QLD 12.5 20.0
SA 7.1 7.0
WA 29.1 10.8
TAS 1.7 2.0
NT 1.3 1.0
ACT 0.0 1.9


  • Around 71% of Clay Products Machine Operators live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Western Australia 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
43
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
3%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Clay Products Machine Operators is 43 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 3% of the workforce. This is 45 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 Clay Products Machine Operators All Jobs Average
15-19 1.0 5.0
20-24 7.9 9.3
25-34 22.5 22.9
35-44 24.3 22.0
45-54 26.2 21.6
55-59 9.3 9.0
60-64 6.8 6.0
65 and Over 2.1 4.2
Median Age 43 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 usually required to work as a Clay Products Machine Operator. Some workers have a certificate II in manufactured mineral products.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Manufactured Mineral Products 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 Clay Products Machine Operators All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 0.7 10.1
Bachelor degree 5.5 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 5.7 11.6
Certificate III/IV 22.6 21.1
Year 12 23.0 18.1
Year 11 8.1 4.8
Year 10 and below 34.5 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 Clay, Concrete, Glass & Stone Machine Operators who are reliable, hardworking and can interact well with others.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 41%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 41%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 41%

    Monitoring

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

  • 41%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 41%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 41%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 39%

    Active listening

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

  • 39%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 39%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 37%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 37%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 36%

    Time management

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

  • 34%

    Quality control analysis

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

  • 34%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 32%

    Active learning

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

  • 32%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 32%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 32%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 29%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.

  • 23%

    Management of personnel resources

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


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 70%

    Fine arts

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

  • 58%

    Production and processing

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

  • 55%

    Chemistry

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

  • 53%

    Mechanical

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

  • 53%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 51%

    Technical design

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

  • 47%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 47%

    Administration and management

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

  • 44%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 42%

    English language

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

  • 41%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 39%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 36%

    Communications and media

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

  • 35%

    Clerical

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

  • 35%

    Education and training

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

  • 35%

    Transportation

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

  • 32%

    Physics

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

  • 32%

    History and archeology

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

  • 31%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 30%

    Building and construction

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 55%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 54%

    Control precision

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

  • 52%

    Manual dexterity

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

  • 52%

    Visualization

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

  • 50%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 50%

    Multilimb coordination

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

  • 50%

    Near vision

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

  • 50%

    Originality

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

  • 50%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 48%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 46%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 46%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 45%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 43%

    Colour discrimination

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

  • 43%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 43%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 41%

    Rate control

    Change when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

  • 39%

    Response orientation

    Quickly choose the right movement of the hand, foot, or other body part when there are two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures).

  • 39%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 36%

    Flexibility of closure

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


Activities

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

  • 84%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 81%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 65%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 64%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 63%

    Working with the public

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

  • 62%

    Controlling equipment or machines

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

  • 62%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 62%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 61%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 60%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 57%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 56%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 53%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 52%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 50%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 50%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 48%

    Managing payments and orders

    Monitoring and controlling resources and the spending of money.

  • 46%

    Scheduling work and activities

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

  • 44%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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

  • 42%

    Coming up with systems and processes

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


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.

  • 57%

    Creative

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

  • 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.

  • 19%

    Enterprising

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

  • 14%

    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.
  • 62%

    Achievement

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

  • 52%

    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.

  • 48%

    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.

  • 43%

    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.

  • 38%

    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:
  • 96%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 96%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 94%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 81%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 81%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 79%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 72%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 71%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 70%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 69%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 67%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 67%

    Indoors, not heat controlled

    Work indoors without heating or cooling (e.g., warehouse without heat).

  • 66%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 65%

    Bending or twisting your body

    Spend time bending or twisting your body.

  • 63%

    Repeating same tasks

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

  • 59%

    Contact with people

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

  • 58%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 57%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 57%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 56%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

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, 51-9195.05 - Potters, Manufacturing.


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