Genetic Counsellors (and Other Health Professionals not covered elsewhere)

ANZSCO ID 251999

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
400
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
58%
Female Share
78%
Average age
42

Summary

Genetic Counsellors (and Other Health Professionals not covered elsewhere) includes jobs like Genetic Counsellor.

Tasks

  • Works with patients on areas of concern in regards to genetics.

  • Provides information and resources to assist patients.

  • Assesses client needs in relation to treatment.

  • Conducts counselling interviews with individuals, couples and family groups.

  • Arranges the admission of patients to hospitals.

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
  • Analytical
  • Creative
  • 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, Other Health Diagnostic & Promotion Professionals, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 58% of people employed as Genetic Counsellors (and Other Health Professionals not covered elsewhere) work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 8 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).

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


Industries

Main industries

1
Health Care and Social Assistance
79.4%
2
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
6.5%
3
Public Administration and Safety
4.3%
4
Education and Training
2.5%
5
Other industries
5.0%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

32.6% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

30.8% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

12.7% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

9.9% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

10.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.8% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.5% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Genetic Counsellors (and Other Health Professionals not covered elsewhere) All Jobs Average
NSW 32.6 31.6
VIC 30.8 25.6
QLD 12.7 20.0
SA 9.9 7.0
WA 10.2 10.8
TAS 1.5 2.0
NT 0.8 1.0
ACT 1.5 1.9


  • Around 80% of Genetic Counsellors (and Other Health Professionals not covered elsewhere) live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Victoria has a large share of employment relative to its population size.

    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
42
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
78%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Genetic Counsellors (and Other Health Professionals not covered elsewhere) is 42 years. This is similar to the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 78% of the workforce. This is 30 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 Genetic Counsellors (and Other Health Professionals not covered elsewhere) All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 2.0 9.3
25-34 30.3 22.9
35-44 25.3 22.0
45-54 26.1 21.6
55-59 9.0 9.0
60-64 3.8 6.0
65 and Over 3.5 4.2
Median Age 42 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

This group includes jobs that might have different study pathways.

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 Health Industry 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 Genetic Counsellors (and Other Health Professionals not covered elsewhere) All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 61.9 10.1
Bachelor degree 24.9 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 10.2 11.6
Certificate III/IV 0.8 21.1
Year 12 2.1 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 Other Health Diagnostic & Promotion Professionals who are caring and empathetic and can work well in a team, with the ability to communicate with a diverse range of people.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 68%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 61%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 59%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 57%

    Active listening

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

  • 57%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 57%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 55%

    Active learning

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

  • 55%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 54%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 46%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 46%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 45%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 45%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 45%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 45%

    Time management

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

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Monitoring

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

  • 43%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 43%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 43%

    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.

  • 80%

    Biology

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

  • 75%

    Therapy and counselling

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

  • 72%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 70%

    Psychology

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

  • 65%

    Education and training

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

  • 65%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 64%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 60%

    Medicine and dentistry

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

  • 58%

    English language

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

  • 57%

    Clerical

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

  • 48%

    Philosophy and theology

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

  • 44%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 43%

    Communications and media

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

  • 43%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 36%

    Law and government

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

  • 34%

    Administration and management

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

  • 30%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 22%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

  • 19%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 14%

    Telecommunications

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 71%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 70%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 70%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 70%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 66%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 66%

    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%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 54%

    Near vision

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

  • 50%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 50%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 50%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 46%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 45%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 45%

    Mathematics

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

  • 45%

    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.

  • 41%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

  • 41%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 41%

    Speed of recognition

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


Activities

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

  • 87%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 86%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 80%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 75%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 74%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 71%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 70%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 69%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 68%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 67%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 66%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 66%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 65%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 65%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 62%

    Working with the public

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

  • 61%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 53%

    Providing office support

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

  • 52%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 50%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 43%

    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.

  • 95%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 90%

    Analytical

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

  • 57%

    Creative

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

  • 38%

    Administrative

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

  • 33%

    Enterprising

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

  • 14%

    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.
  • 86%

    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.

  • 71%

    Achievement

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

  • 71%

    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.

  • 67%

    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.

  • 67%

    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.

  • 62%

    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:
  • 100%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 100%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 93%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 91%

    Contact with people

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

  • 89%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 86%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 86%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 83%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 81%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 81%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 79%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 78%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 78%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 75%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 65%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 65%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 58%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 57%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 55%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

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, 29-9092.00 - Genetic Counselors.


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