Counsellors
Overview
Snapshot
Summary
Counsellors provide information on vocational, relationship, social and educational difficulties and issues, and work with people to help them to identify and define their emotional issues through therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy and other talking therapies.
Tasks
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working with clients on career, study and employment options by obtaining and examining information relevant to their abilities and needs
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providing information and resources to assist clients with job-seeking skills
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assessing client needs in relation to treatment for drug and alcohol abuse
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conducting counselling interviews with individuals, couples and family groups
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assisting the understanding and adjustment of attitudes, expectations and behaviour to develop more effective interpersonal and marital relationships
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presenting alternative approaches and discussing potential for attitude and behaviour change
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consulting with clients to develop rehabilitation plans taking account of vocational and social needs
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contributing information, understanding and advice on the learning and behaviour of students, especially those with special needs, and assisting parents and teachers in dealing with these needs
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May work in a call centre
Characteristics
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University
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Vocational Education and Training (VET)
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Analytical
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Creative
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Helping
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Sedentary
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:
- is expected to grow strongly
- is likely to reach 27,800 by 2026.
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.
Number of Workers
Year | Employment |
---|---|
2011 | 15,100 |
2012 | 17,800 |
2013 | 18,300 |
2014 | 20,400 |
2015 | 21,400 |
2016 | 19,800 |
2017 | 27,000 |
2018 | 26,100 |
2019 | 31,400 |
2020 | 32,500 |
2021 | 24,400 |
2026 | 27,800 |
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
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Around 51% of people employed as Counsellors work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 15 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).
Full-time workers work an average of 41 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).
More than a third of workers regularly work overtime or extra hours (either paid or unpaid).
Median full-time earnings are $1,652 per week, this is higher than the all jobs median ($1,593):
- 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,476
- 1 in 4 earn more than $2,238
Median hourly earnings are $45, 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. Overtime hours: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, 2021. 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)
Earnings | Counsellors | All Jobs Average |
---|---|---|
Full-Time Earnings | 1,652 | 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
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Counsellors work in industries like:
- Health care and social assistance
- Education and training
- Other services
- Public administration and safety.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, annual average 2021.
Regions
Employment across Australia
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Employment by State and Territory (% Share)
State | Counsellors | All Jobs Average |
---|---|---|
NSW | 30.4 | 31.6 |
VIC | 28.1 | 25.6 |
QLD | 18.9 | 20.0 |
SA | 7.2 | 7.0 |
WA | 10.1 | 10.8 |
TAS | 2.0 | 2.0 |
NT | 1.5 | 1.0 |
ACT | 2.0 | 1.9 |
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Around 63% of Counsellors live in capital cities, similar to the all jobs average of 62%.
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
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The median age of Counsellors 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 77% of the workforce. This is 29 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)
Age Bracket | Counsellors | All Jobs Average |
---|---|---|
15-19 | 0.5 | 5.0 |
20-24 | 4.9 | 9.3 |
25-34 | 21.3 | 22.9 |
35-44 | 22.3 | 22.0 |
45-54 | 23.4 | 21.6 |
55-59 | 11.6 | 9.0 |
60-64 | 9.1 | 6.0 |
65 and Over | 6.9 | 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
A bachelor degree in counselling, psychology, social work or another related field is usually needed to work as a Counsellor. Some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification.
Registration with the state or territory teaching board is required to teach in schools.
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 Community Services VET training pathways.
Highest Level of Education (% Share)
Type of Qualification | Counsellors | All Jobs Average |
---|---|---|
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate | 37.3 | 10.1 |
Bachelor degree | 35.5 | 21.8 |
Advanced Diploma/Diploma | 13.4 | 11.6 |
Certificate III/IV | 5.5 | 21.1 |
Year 12 | 5.6 | 18.1 |
Year 11 | 0.9 | 4.8 |
Year 10 and below | 1.7 | 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 Counsellors who can communicate clearly and are caring and compassionate.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
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79%
Social perceptivenessUnderstanding why people react the way they do.
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68%
Active listeningListening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
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68%
Reading comprehensionReading work related information.
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63%
SpeakingTalking to others.
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59%
Critical thinkingThinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
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59%
Judgment and decision makingFiguring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
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59%
Serving othersLooking for ways to help people.
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59%
WritingWriting things for co-workers or customers.
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57%
Active learningBeing able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
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57%
Complex problem solvingNoticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
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57%
MonitoringKeeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
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57%
PersuasionTalking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
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55%
NegotiationBringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
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55%
InstructingTeaching people how to do something.
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55%
Learning strategiesFiguring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
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54%
Coordination with othersBeing adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
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52%
Time managementManaging your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
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50%
ScienceUsing scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
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48%
Systems evaluationMeasuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
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45%
Management of personnel resourcesMotivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
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99%
Therapy and counsellingDiagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
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97%
PsychologyHuman behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
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89%
Customer and personal serviceUnderstanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
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73%
Sociology and anthropologyGroup behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
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66%
English languageEnglish language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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63%
ClericalWord processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
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63%
Philosophy and theologyPhilosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
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62%
Education and trainingCurriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
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46%
Computers and electronicsCircuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
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45%
Law and governmentHow our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
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45%
MathematicsArithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
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33%
Personnel and human resourcesRecruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
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33%
BiologyPlant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.
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32%
Medicine and dentistryDiagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
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31%
Administration and managementBusiness principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
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29%
Communications and mediaMedia production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
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28%
Sales and marketingShowing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
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21%
Public safety and securityUse of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
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19%
History and archeologyEvents of the past, their causes, how we learn about them, and how they influence the way we live today.
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14%
Economics and accountingEconomics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities..
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70%
Oral comprehensionListen to and understand what people say.
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66%
Oral expressionCommunicate by speaking.
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66%
Inductive reasoningUse lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
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66%
Problem spottingNotice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
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63%
Written comprehensionRead and understand written information.
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61%
Deductive reasoningUse general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
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57%
Speech claritySpeak clearly so others can understand you.
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57%
Written expressionWrite in a way that people can understand.
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57%
OriginalityCome up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
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55%
Speech recognitionIdentify and understand the speech of another person.
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55%
Near visionSee details that are up-close (within a few feet).
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54%
BrainstormingCome up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
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54%
Sorting or orderingOrder or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
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52%
CategorisingCome up with different ways of grouping things.
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45%
Selective attentionPay attention to something without being distracted.
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43%
Flexibility of closureSee a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
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43%
Speed of recognitionQuickly make sense of and organize things you can see like letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
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41%
Far visionSee details that are far away.
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39%
MultitaskingDo two or more things at the same time.
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39%
MemorizationRemember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
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85%
Helping and caring for othersProviding personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
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85%
Keeping your knowledge up-to-dateKeeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
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82%
Training and teaching othersUnderstanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
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81%
Coaching and developing othersWorking out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
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80%
Building good relationshipsBuilding good working relationships and keeping them over time.
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78%
Making decisions and solving problemsUsing information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
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73%
Negotiating and resolving conflictsHandling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
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70%
Documenting or recording informationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
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69%
Thinking creativelyUsing your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.
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69%
Communicating within a teamGiving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
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68%
Explaining things to peopleHelping people to understand and use information.
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67%
Researching and investigatingLooking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
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67%
Planning and prioritising workDeciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
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66%
Coming up with systems and processesDeciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.
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65%
Assessing and evaluating thingsWorking out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
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65%
Giving expert adviceProviding guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.
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63%
Guiding and directing staffGuiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.
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58%
Leading and encouraging a teamEncouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
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58%
Making sense of information and ideasLooking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
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44%
Working with computersUsing 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.
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90%
HelpingWorking with people. Helping or providing service to others.
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86%
AnalyticalIdeas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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62%
CreativeWorking with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
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38%
EnterprisingStarting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
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33%
AdministrativeFollowing set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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19%
PracticalPractical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
Values
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100%
RelationshipsServe 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.
-
86%
AchievementResults oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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86%
IndependenceWork 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.
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86%
Working conditionsJob security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
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76%
RecognitionAdvancement 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.
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48%
SupportSupportive 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
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100%
Face-to-face discussionsTalk with people face-to-face.
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99%
Indoors, heat controlledWork indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
98%
Freedom to make decisionsHave freedom to make decision on your own.
-
98%
Electronic mailUse electronic mail.
-
97%
TelephoneTalk on the telephone.
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95%
Unstructured workHave freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
94%
Contact with peopleHave contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
92%
Spend time sittingSpend time sitting at work.
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86%
Frequent decision makingFrequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
84%
Impact of decisionsMake decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
78%
TeamworkWork with people in a group or team.
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76%
Contact with the publicWork with customers or the public.
-
75%
Letters and memosWrite letters and memos.
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75%
Time pressureWork to strict deadlines.
-
68%
Consequence of errorWork where mistakes have serious consequences.
-
68%
Lead or coordinate a teamLead others to do work activities.
-
67%
Being exact or accurateBe very exact or highly accurate.
-
65%
Conflict situationsDeal with conflict or disagreements.
-
64%
Angry or unpleasant peopleDeal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
61%
Responsible for outcomesTake responsibility for the results of other people's work.
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, 19-3031.03 - Counseling Psychologists.
Links and downloads
Research and reports
The Skills Priority List provides a current labour market rating and a future demand rating for nearly 800 occupations nationally. Current labour market ratings are available for occupations at a state and territory level.
Downloads
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Occupation profiles data are available for download.
The Employment Projections are available for download.