Educational Psychologists
Overview
Snapshot
Summary
Educational Psychologists investigate learning and teaching, and develop psychological techniques to foster the development and skills of individuals and groups in educational settings.
Tasks
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Conducts research studies of motivation in learning, group performance and individual differences in mental abilities and educational performance.
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Collects data and analyses characteristics of students and recommends educational programmes.
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Formulates achievement, diagnostic and predictive tests for use by teachers in planning methods and content of instruction.
Characteristics
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University
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Analytical
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Helping
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Sedentary
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, Psychologists and Psychotherapists, under the outlook section.
Earnings and hours
Working arrangements
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Around 62% of people employed as Educational Psychologists work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 4 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).
Full-time workers work an average of 42 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
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Most Educational Psychologists work in the Education and training industry. They are also employed in industries like:
- Health care and social assistance
- Public administration and safety
- Professional, scientific and technical services.
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report.
Regions
Employment across Australia
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Employment by State and Territory (% Share)
State | Educational Psychologists | All Jobs Average |
---|---|---|
NSW | 32.5 | 31.6 |
VIC | 20.5 | 25.6 |
QLD | 24.1 | 20.0 |
SA | 2.1 | 7.0 |
WA | 15.5 | 10.8 |
TAS | 2.5 | 2.0 |
NT | 0.5 | 1.0 |
ACT | 2.3 | 1.9 |
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Around 61% of Educational Psychologists live in capital cities, similar to the all jobs average of 62%.
Western Australia and Queensland have a large share of employment relative to their population size.
The regions with the largest share of workers are:
- Perth - North West
- Melbourne - Inner
- Melbourne - Inner South
- Perth - South West
- 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
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The median age of Educational Psychologists is 46 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 83% of the workforce. This is 35 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 | Educational Psychologists | All Jobs Average |
---|---|---|
15-19 | 0.0 | 5.0 |
20-24 | 0.7 | 9.3 |
25-34 | 21.8 | 22.9 |
35-44 | 24.9 | 22.0 |
45-54 | 22.6 | 21.6 |
55-59 | 11.2 | 9.0 |
60-64 | 10.9 | 6.0 |
65 and Over | 8.0 | 4.2 |
Median Age | 46 | 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 specialised postgraduate degree in psychology and a period of supervised practice is needed to work as an Educational Psychologist.
Registration with the Psychology Board of Australia is required.
Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
Highest Level of Education (% Share)
Type of Qualification | Educational Psychologists | All Jobs Average |
---|---|---|
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate | 78.1 | 10.1 |
Bachelor degree | 20.0 | 21.8 |
Advanced Diploma/Diploma | 1.3 | 11.6 |
Certificate III/IV | 0.2 | 21.1 |
Year 12 | 0.4 | 18.1 |
Year 11 | 0.0 | 4.8 |
Year 10 and below | 0.0 | 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 Psychologists who are caring, compassionate, empathetic and work well in a team.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
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70%
Social perceptivenessUnderstanding why people react the way they do.
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64%
Reading comprehensionReading work related information.
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63%
Active listeningListening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
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63%
WritingWriting things for co-workers or customers.
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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%
SpeakingTalking to others.
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57%
Critical thinkingThinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
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57%
Learning strategiesFiguring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
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55%
MonitoringKeeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
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55%
Time managementManaging your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
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54%
Active learningBeing able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
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54%
Complex problem solvingNoticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
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54%
Coordination with othersBeing adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
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52%
PersuasionTalking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
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52%
Serving othersLooking for ways to help people.
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50%
NegotiationBringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
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50%
InstructingTeaching people how to do something.
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48%
Systems evaluationMeasuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
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45%
Systems analysisFiguring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
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43%
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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88%
PsychologyHuman behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
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86%
Therapy and counsellingDiagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
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77%
Education and trainingCurriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
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65%
English languageEnglish language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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63%
MathematicsArithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
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62%
Sociology and anthropologyGroup behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
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52%
ClericalWord processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
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48%
Customer and personal serviceUnderstanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
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45%
Administration and managementBusiness principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
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42%
Computers and electronicsCircuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
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39%
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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38%
Law and governmentHow our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
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34%
Communications and mediaMedia production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
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31%
Foreign languageForeign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
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24%
Personnel and human resourcesRecruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
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23%
Medicine and dentistryDiagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
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20%
Public safety and securityUse of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
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20%
BiologyPlant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.
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19%
Sales and marketingShowing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
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12%
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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68%
Oral comprehensionListen to and understand what people say.
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68%
Written comprehensionRead and understand written information.
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64%
Oral expressionCommunicate by speaking.
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64%
Written expressionWrite in a way that people can understand.
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63%
Inductive reasoningUse lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
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61%
Problem spottingNotice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
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59%
Deductive reasoningUse general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
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55%
Speech claritySpeak clearly so others can understand you.
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54%
Speech recognitionIdentify and understand the speech of another person.
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50%
Near visionSee details that are up-close (within a few feet).
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50%
OriginalityCome up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
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50%
Sorting or orderingOrder or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
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48%
BrainstormingCome up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
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48%
CategorisingCome up with different ways of grouping things.
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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%
MathematicsChoose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.
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41%
Far visionSee details that are far away.
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39%
Selective attentionPay attention to something without being distracted.
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39%
MultitaskingDo two or more things at the same time.
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37%
Perceptual speedUse 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.
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81%
Building good relationshipsBuilding good working relationships and keeping them over time.
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79%
Communicating within a teamGiving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
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78%
Giving expert adviceProviding guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.
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77%
Collecting and organising informationCompiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
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76%
Making sense of information and ideasLooking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
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75%
Researching and investigatingLooking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
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74%
Keeping your knowledge up-to-dateKeeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
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74%
Negotiating and resolving conflictsHandling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
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73%
Planning and prioritising workDeciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
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72%
Explaining things to peopleHelping people to understand and use information.
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72%
Documenting or recording informationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
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72%
Helping and caring for othersProviding personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
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71%
Looking for changes over timeComparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
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70%
Checking compliance with standardsDeciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
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70%
Making decisions and solving problemsUsing information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
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66%
Assessing and evaluating thingsWorking out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
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64%
Communicating with the publicGiving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
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63%
Monitoring people, processes and thingsChecking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
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61%
Thinking creativelyUsing your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.
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57%
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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100%
AnalyticalIdeas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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86%
HelpingWorking with people. Helping or providing service to others.
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52%
AdministrativeFollowing set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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52%
CreativeWorking with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
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24%
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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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.
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81%
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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76%
AchievementResults oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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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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69%
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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52%
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%
TeamworkWork with people in a group or team.
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100%
Face-to-face discussionsTalk with people face-to-face.
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98%
Electronic mailUse electronic mail.
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97%
TelephoneTalk on the telephone.
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93%
Being exact or accurateBe very exact or highly accurate.
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92%
Impact of decisionsMake decisions that have a large impact on other people.
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92%
Contact with peopleHave contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
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89%
Frequent decision makingFrequently make decisions that impact other people.
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87%
Freedom to make decisionsHave freedom to make decision on your own.
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86%
Lead or coordinate a teamLead others to do work activities.
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85%
Letters and memosWrite letters and memos.
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85%
Time pressureWork to strict deadlines.
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82%
Contact with the publicWork with customers or the public.
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81%
Physically close to peopleWork physically close to other people.
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80%
Conflict situationsDeal with conflict or disagreements.
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79%
Unstructured workHave freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
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75%
Spend time sittingSpend time sitting at work.
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71%
Consequence of errorWork where mistakes have serious consequences.
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70%
Indoors, heat controlledWork indoors with access to heating or cooling.
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66%
Angry or unpleasant peopleDeal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
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, 19-3031.01 - School 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.