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Mechanic's Assistants

ANZSCO ID 899916

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
1,300
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
73%
Female Share
6%
Average age
34
About this data

Summary

Mechanics' Assistants assist Motor Mechanics to replace and repair worn and defective parts, re-assemble mechanical components, change oil and filters, and perform other routine mechanical tasks.

Specialisations: Lube Attendant.

Formal qualifications are not usually required to work as a Mechanic's Assistant. Some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in an automotive or mechanical field.

Tasks

  • Assists mechanics to: detect and diagnose faults in engines and parts.

  • Dismantle and remove engine assemblies, transmissions, steering mechanisms and other components, and check parts.

  • Repair and replace worn and defective parts and reassemble mechanical components, and refer to service manuals as needed.

  • Perform scheduled maintenance services such as oil changes, lubrications and engine tune-ups to achieve smoother running of vehicles and ensure compliance with pollution regulations.

  • Reassemble engines and parts after being repaired.

  • Test and adjust mechanical parts after being repaired for proper performance, diagnose and test parts with the assistance of computers.

Characteristics

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 Miscellaneous Labourers, under the outlook section.

Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 73% of people employed as Mechanic's Assistants work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 7 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 43 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
Other Services
46.1%
2
Retail Trade
11.0%
3
Manufacturing
9.5%
4
Transport, Postal and Warehousing
7.2%
5
Other industries
20.9%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

22.2% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

18.4% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

26.2% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

9.0% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

18.1% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.8% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.4% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Mechanic's Assistants All Jobs Average
NSW 22.2 31.6
VIC 18.4 25.6
QLD 26.2 20.0
SA 9.0 7.0
WA 18.1 10.8
TAS 2.5 2.0
NT 1.8 1.0
ACT 1.4 1.9


  • Around 57% of Mechanic's Assistants live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Western Australia and Queensland have a large share of employment relative to their 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
34
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
6%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Mechanic's Assistants is 34 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

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

    Females make up 6% of the workforce. This is 42 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 Mechanic's Assistants All Jobs Average
15-19 14.2 5.0
20-24 16.0 9.3
25-34 20.1 22.9
35-44 17.6 22.0
45-54 15.9 21.6
55-59 8.0 9.0
60-64 4.8 6.0
65 and Over 3.5 4.2
Median Age 34 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

Formal qualifications are not usually required to work as a Mechanic's Assistant. Some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in an automotive or mechanical field.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.

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 Mechanic's Assistants All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 0.2 10.1
Bachelor degree 1.9 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 3.6 11.6
Certificate III/IV 27.7 21.1
Year 12 23.5 18.1
Year 11 9.7 4.8
Year 10 and below 33.4 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 Labourers who are reliable, have a good work ethic and can work well in a team.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 46%

    Equipment maintenance

    Maintaining equipment and deciding what maintenance will be needed in the future.

  • 45%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 45%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 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%

    Quality control analysis

    Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.

  • 43%

    Repairing

    Fixing machines or systems.

  • 41%

    Active listening

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

  • 41%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 41%

    Troubleshooting

    Figuring out why a machine or system went wrong and working out what to do about it.

  • 37%

    Active learning

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

  • 37%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 37%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 36%

    Time management

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

  • 34%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 34%

    Equipment selection

    Deciding on the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

  • 34%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 34%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 32%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 32%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 55%

    Mechanical

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

  • 40%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 39%

    English language

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

  • 38%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 37%

    Building and construction

    Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.

  • 35%

    Physics

    The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

  • 33%

    Chemistry

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

  • 31%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 30%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 29%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 25%

    Technical design

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

  • 23%

    Education and training

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

  • 22%

    Clerical

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

  • 21%

    Administration and management

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

  • 21%

    Production and processing

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

  • 21%

    Transportation

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

  • 19%

    Communications and media

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

  • 16%

    Law and government

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

  • 14%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 12%

    Personnel and human resources

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

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Extent flexibility

    Bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.

  • 52%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 52%

    Static strength

    Lift, push, pull, or carry things.

  • 50%

    Visualization

    Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • 48%

    Trunk strength

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

  • 48%

    Colour discrimination

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

  • 46%

    Control precision

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

  • 45%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 45%

    Near vision

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

  • 43%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 43%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

  • 43%

    Multilimb coordination

    Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.

  • 43%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 43%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 41%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 41%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 41%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 41%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 41%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 36%

    Balance

    Keep your balance or stay upright.

Activities

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

  • 82%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 72%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 63%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 63%

    Driving vehicles or equipment

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

  • 60%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 58%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 58%

    Working with electronic equipment

    Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing electronic devices and equipment.

  • 57%

    Working with mechanical equipment

    Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment.

  • 56%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 52%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 50%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 49%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 47%

    Coaching and developing others

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

  • 45%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 43%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

  • 42%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 42%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 39%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 36%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 35%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

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%

    Practical

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

  • 76%

    Administrative

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

  • 67%

    Analytical

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

  • 24%

    Enterprising

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

  • 19%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 14%

    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.

  • 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.

  • 57%

    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.

  • 38%

    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.

  • 31%

    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.

  • 29%

    Achievement

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

  • 29%

    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.

Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:

  • 98%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 93%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 89%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 87%

    Contact with people

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

  • 85%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 84%

    Walking and running

    Spend time walking and running.

  • 84%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 81%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 81%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 81%

    Bending or twisting your body

    Spend time bending or twisting your body.

  • 78%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 77%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

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

  • 77%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 75%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 71%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 69%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 68%

    Cramped work space

    Work in an awkward position or in cramped work spaces.

  • 68%

    Very hot or cold temperatures

    Work in very hot or cold temperatures.

  • 67%

    Dangerous equipment

    Work near dangerous equipment like saws, machinery with open moving parts, or moving traffic.

  • 63%

    Pace of work set by equipment

    Pace of work depends on the speed of equipment or machinery.

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, 49-9098.00 - Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers.

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