Defence Force Senior Officers

ANZSCO ID 111212

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
1,100
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
87%
Female Share
16%
Average age
48

Summary

Defence Force Senior Officers manage organisational units of the Australian Defence Force through subordinate officers.

Also known as: Air Force, Army, or Navy Senior Officer.

Specialisations: Admiral (Navy), Air Chief Marshal (Air Force), Air Commodore (Air Force), Air Marshal (Air Force), Air Vice Marshal (Air Force), Brigadier (Army), Captain (Navy), Colonel (Army), Commander (Navy), Commodore (Navy), General (Army), Group Captain (Air Force), Lieutenant Colonel (Army), Lieutenant General (Army), Major General (Army), Rear Admiral (Navy), Vice Admiral (Navy), Wing Commander (Air Force).

Defence Force Senior Officers gain their position by advancing through the ranks of the Australian Defence Force.

Tasks

  • Provides strategic direction and management, directs subordinates to meet objectives, achieve specific goals.

  • Plans manoeuvres, policy and ensures set standards are meet.

  • Consults with immediate subordinates and fellow defence heads (where appropriate) on such matters as methods of operation, equipment required and personnel.

  • Studies and analyses relevant data, reviews recommendations and reports, takes responsibility for preparation and presentation of information to the appropriate arms of military forces.

  • Decides or approves senior (and/or other) appointments.

  • Authorises missions, along with government approval.

  • Represents military arm at conferences, negotiations, official occasions, and liaises with other organisations.

Characteristics

Job Type
Managers
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
  • Helping
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, General Managers, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 87% of people employed as Defence Force Senior Officers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 21 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 50 hours per week in their main job. This is 6 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
Public Administration and Safety
96.6%
2
Education and Training
0.7%
3
Manufacturing
0.5%
4
Retail Trade
0.3%
5
Other industries
0.8%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

31.2% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

8.8% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

12.3% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

3.4% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

3.1% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.1% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

2.4% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

37.5% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Defence Force Senior Officers All Jobs Average
NSW 31.2 31.6
VIC 8.8 25.6
QLD 12.3 20.0
SA 3.4 7.0
WA 3.1 10.8
TAS 1.1 2.0
NT 2.4 1.0
ACT 37.5 1.9


  • Around 72% of Defence Force Senior Officers live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    The Australian Capital Territory 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
48
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
16%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Defence Force Senior Officers is 48 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 16% of the workforce. This is 32 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 Defence Force Senior Officers All Jobs Average
15-19 0.3 5.0
20-24 1.1 9.3
25-34 5.3 22.9
35-44 24.9 22.0
45-54 44.8 21.6
55-59 14.0 9.0
60-64 7.2 6.0
65 and Over 2.5 4.2
Median Age 48 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

Defence Force Senior Officers gain their position by advancing through the ranks of the Australian Defence Force.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Business 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 Defence Force Senior Officers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 67.4 10.1
Bachelor degree 14.5 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 10.0 11.6
Certificate III/IV 2.1 21.1
Year 12 5.1 18.1
Year 11 0.3 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.6 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 General Managers who have strong communication skills, provide leadership and direction and can interact with a variety of people.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 63%

    Monitoring

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

  • 59%

    Active listening

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

  • 59%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 59%

    Time management

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

  • 57%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 57%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 57%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 57%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 57%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 57%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 57%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 57%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 55%

    Active learning

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

  • 55%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 55%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 52%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 50%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 48%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 48%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 46%

    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.

  • 84%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 82%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 73%

    Law and government

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

  • 72%

    Education and training

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

  • 71%

    Psychology

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

  • 63%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 62%

    English language

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

  • 62%

    Administration and management

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

  • 58%

    Clerical

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

  • 54%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 54%

    Therapy and counselling

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

  • 52%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 44%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 44%

    Communications and media

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

  • 43%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 42%

    Philosophy and theology

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

  • 41%

    Transportation

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

  • 32%

    Geography

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

  • 30%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 30%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 61%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 61%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 59%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 57%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 57%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 57%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 57%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 55%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 55%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 55%

    Near vision

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

  • 54%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 52%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 52%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 52%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 52%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 50%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 50%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 48%

    Originality

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

  • 43%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 39%

    Auditory attention

    Pay attention to a certain sound when there are other distracting sounds.


Activities

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

  • 84%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 81%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 81%

    Working with the public

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

  • 80%

    Guiding and directing staff

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

  • 80%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 78%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 78%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 78%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 76%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 75%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 75%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 73%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 72%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 72%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 71%

    Coaching and developing others

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

  • 69%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 68%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 64%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

  • 63%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 59%

    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.

  • 67%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 62%

    Administrative

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

  • 52%

    Practical

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

  • 33%

    Analytical

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

  • 19%

    Creative

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


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 90%

    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.

  • 86%

    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.

  • 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.

  • 76%

    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.

  • 71%

    Achievement

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

  • 71%

    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:
  • 98%

    Contact with people

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

  • 98%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 97%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 97%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 96%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 96%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

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

  • 96%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 94%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 90%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 89%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 89%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 89%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 89%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 89%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 88%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 87%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 87%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 84%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 81%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 81%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

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, 33-1012.00 - First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives.


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