Company Secretaries

ANZSCO ID 221211

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
810
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
67%
Female Share
64%
Average age
50

Summary

Company Secretaries plan, administer and review corporate compliance activities and effective practice concerning company board meetings and shareholdings, ensuring all business matters and transactions are managed and implemented as directed by the board.

Tasks

  • Arranges, gives notice of and attends meetings of directors and shareholders.

  • Advises organisations' governing boards on matters concerning compliance with stock exchange listing rules, relevant legislation and corporation practice.

  • Supervises organisations' share capital by preparing documents and share issues, and handling share transfers.

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
  • Sedentary

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, Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 67% of people employed as Company Secretaries work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is similar to the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 48 hours per week in their main job. This is 4 hours more than 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
Financial and Insurance Services
16.8%
2
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
12.7%
3
Manufacturing
9.0%
4
Mining
6.3%
5
Other industries
51.9%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

38.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

25.6% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

13.4% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.2% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.7% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.1% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.4% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.5% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Company Secretaries All Jobs Average
NSW 38.1 31.6
VIC 25.6 25.6
QLD 13.4 20.0
SA 7.2 7.0
WA 11.7 10.8
TAS 2.1 2.0
NT 0.4 1.0
ACT 1.5 1.9


  • Around 83% of Company Secretaries live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    New South Wales has a large share of employment relative to its population size.

    The region with the largest share of workers is Sydney - North Sydney and Hornsby.

    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
50
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
64%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Company Secretaries is 50 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 35 to 44 years.

    Females make up 64% of the workforce. This is 16 percentage points above 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 Company Secretaries All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 0.4 9.3
25-34 12.5 22.9
35-44 24.1 22.0
45-54 23.9 21.6
55-59 13.1 9.0
60-64 11.9 6.0
65 and Over 14.1 4.2
Median Age 50 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 a related field (like business, law, accounting or public administration) and some business experience is usually needed to work as a Company Secretary.

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 Financial Services 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 Company Secretaries All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 28.5 10.1
Bachelor degree 41.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 8.7 11.6
Certificate III/IV 4.3 21.1
Year 12 9.3 18.1
Year 11 1.6 4.8
Year 10 and below 5.8 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 Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers who have strong attention to detail, are organised and work independently.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 82%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 79%

    Management of financial resources

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

  • 79%

    Monitoring

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

  • 77%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 77%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 73%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 73%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 71%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 71%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 70%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 70%

    Active listening

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

  • 68%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 68%

    Active learning

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

  • 68%

    Management of material resources

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

  • 68%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 68%

    Time management

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

  • 66%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 63%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 61%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 52%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 89%

    Administration and management

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

  • 79%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 72%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 65%

    English language

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

  • 64%

    Education and training

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

  • 62%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 60%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 57%

    Law and government

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

  • 56%

    Psychology

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

  • 56%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 52%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 50%

    Clerical

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

  • 48%

    Communications and media

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

  • 43%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 42%

    Production and processing

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

  • 36%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 36%

    Therapy and counselling

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

  • 29%

    Technical design

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

  • 29%

    Building and construction

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

  • 27%

    Transportation

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 71%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 71%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 71%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 71%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 70%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 70%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 66%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 66%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 66%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 66%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 64%

    Near vision

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

  • 61%

    Originality

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

  • 59%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 59%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 57%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 55%

    Mathematics

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

  • 55%

    Visualization

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

  • 50%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 48%

    Speed of recognition

    Quickly make sense of and organize things you can see like letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 41%

    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.

  • 88%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 87%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 86%

    Managing payments and orders

    Monitoring and controlling resources and the spending of money.

  • 86%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 85%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 84%

    Guiding and directing staff

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

  • 84%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 83%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 81%

    Coming up with systems and processes

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

  • 77%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 77%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 77%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 76%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 76%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 74%

    Leading and encouraging a team

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

  • 73%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 70%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 70%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 65%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 55%

    Working with computers

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

  • 100%

    Enterprising

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

  • 76%

    Administrative

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

  • 52%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 38%

    Creative

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

  • 29%

    Analytical

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

  • 19%

    Practical

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


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 100%

    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.

  • 100%

    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.

  • 90%

    Achievement

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

  • 90%

    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.

  • 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.

  • 71%

    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.


Demands

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

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 100%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 100%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 98%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 98%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 98%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 97%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 96%

    Contact with people

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

  • 95%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 94%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 89%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 87%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 87%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 84%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 84%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 83%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 81%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 77%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 76%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

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, 11-1011.00 - Chief Executives.


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