Foresters

ANZSCO ID 234113

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
980
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
84%
Female Share
15%
Average age
45

Summary

Foresters study, develop and manage forest areas to maintain commercial and recreational uses, conserve flora and fauna, and protect against fire, pests and diseases.

Specialisations: Forestry Adviser, Forestry Consultant.

A bachelor degree in forest science and management, or a science degree with a major in forestry is usually needed to work as a Forester. Forestry management courses may also be available through Vocational Education and Training (VET).

Tasks

  • Manages forest resources to maximise their long-term commercial, recreational and environmental benefits for the community.

  • Studies the propagation and culture of forest trees, methods for improving the growth of stock, and the effects of thinning on forest yields.

  • Prepares plans for reforestation and devises efficient harvesting systems.

  • Investigates, plans and implements management procedures to cope with the effects of fires, floods, droughts, soil erosion, insect pests and diseases.

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
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Medium

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, Agricultural and Forestry Scientists, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 84% of people employed as Foresters work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 18 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 44 hours per week in their main job. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
67.7%
2
Public Administration and Safety
12.6%
3
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
7.4%
4
Manufacturing
3.0%
5
Other industries
8.1%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

20.0% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

28.5% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

11.5% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.1% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

15.3% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

14.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.3% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.7% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Foresters All Jobs Average
NSW 20.0 31.6
VIC 28.5 25.6
QLD 11.5 20.0
SA 7.1 7.0
WA 15.3 10.8
TAS 14.5 2.0
NT 1.3 1.0
ACT 1.7 1.9


  • Around 81% of Foresters live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Tasmania and Western Australia have a large share of employment relative to their 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
45
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
15%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Foresters 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 15% of the workforce. This is 33 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 Foresters All Jobs Average
15-19 0.6 5.0
20-24 4.3 9.3
25-34 17.6 22.9
35-44 25.8 22.0
45-54 27.0 21.6
55-59 11.7 9.0
60-64 8.2 6.0
65 and Over 4.7 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 forest science and management, or a science degree with a major in forestry is usually needed to work as a Forester. Forestry management courses may also be available through Vocational Education and Training (VET).

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 Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation & Land Management, Forest and Wood Products Industry, Sustainability and Laboratory Operations 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 Foresters All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 15.6 10.1
Bachelor degree 38.1 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 16.5 11.6
Certificate III/IV 11.4 21.1
Year 12 6.9 18.1
Year 11 1.7 4.8
Year 10 and below 9.9 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 Agricultural and Forestry Scientists who can communicate clearly, work well in a team and have strong interpersonal skills.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 63%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 63%

    Monitoring

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

  • 63%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 61%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 59%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 59%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 59%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 57%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 55%

    Active listening

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

  • 55%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 54%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 54%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 52%

    Time management

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

  • 52%

    Active learning

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

  • 52%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 50%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 48%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 45%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 45%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 43%

    Operation monitoring

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


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 72%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 63%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 61%

    Geography

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

  • 61%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 60%

    Clerical

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

  • 57%

    English language

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

  • 57%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 55%

    Administration and management

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

  • 53%

    Law and government

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

  • 49%

    Education and training

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

  • 49%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 48%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 45%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 43%

    Transportation

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

  • 43%

    Technical design

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

  • 41%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 37%

    Production and processing

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

  • 36%

    Mechanical

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

  • 35%

    History and archeology

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

  • 32%

    Communications and media

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 61%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 59%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 59%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 59%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 59%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 57%

    Originality

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

  • 55%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 55%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 55%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 55%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 54%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 52%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 52%

    Near vision

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

  • 48%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 46%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 45%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 45%

    Trunk strength

    Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.

  • 41%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 39%

    Control precision

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

  • 36%

    Colour discrimination

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


Activities

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

  • 82%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 71%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 70%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 69%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 69%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 67%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 67%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 66%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 64%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 64%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 63%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 62%

    Scheduling work and activities

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

  • 62%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 61%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 60%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 59%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 57%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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

  • 56%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 47%

    Working with computers

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

  • 40%

    Driving vehicles or equipment

    Running, manoeuvring, navigating, or driving things like forklifts, vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.


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.

  • 81%

    Analytical

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

  • 57%

    Enterprising

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

  • 43%

    Administrative

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

  • 33%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 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.
  • 81%

    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.

  • 64%

    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.

  • 57%

    Achievement

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

  • 57%

    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.

  • 52%

    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.

  • 52%

    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%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 91%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 88%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 87%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 84%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 83%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 82%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 81%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 80%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

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

  • 80%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 78%

    Contact with people

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

  • 77%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 76%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

    Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.

  • 75%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 74%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 74%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 70%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 67%

    Minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings

    Be exposed to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings.

  • 67%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 67%

    Indoors, not heat controlled

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

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, 19-1032.00 - Foresters.


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