Meteorologists

ANZSCO ID 234913

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
680
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
80%
Female Share
30%
Average age
42

Summary

Meteorologists study the physics and dynamics of the atmosphere to increase understanding of weather and climate, and to forecast changes in the weather and long-term climatic trends.

Specialisations: Climatologist, Weather Forecaster.

A bachelor degree in science majoring in mathematics, physics or a related field is needed to work as a Meteorologist. Some workers have a postgraduate qualification.

Tasks

  • Studies composition, structure and dynamics of the atmosphere, investigating the direction and speed of air movements, air pressure and temperature, humidity and other phenomena.

  • Investigates the nature of solar and terrestrial (infra-red) radiations and effects on the atmosphere.

  • Studies physical nature and properties of solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere, investigating them as the process of cloud formation, precipitation and electrical disturbances.

  • Studies data on atmospheric conditions obtained to prepare weather maps and forecasts for advice to aviation, shipping, agriculture and the general public.

  • Studies climatic conditions by analysing meteorological observations made over extended periods of time, and investigates past and possible future fluctuations in climate.

  • Employs balloons, rockets and artificial earth satellites and such techniques as spectroscopy, hygrometry, daylight and infra-red photography, radar and radio to obtain data on atmospheric conditions, and directs processing of the data.

  • May specialise in a particular area of meteorological science.


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 Natural and Physical Science Professionals, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 80% of people employed as Meteorologists work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 14 percentage points above 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

1
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
80.0%
2
Public Administration and Safety
8.8%
3
Education and Training
4.7%
4
Transport, Postal and Warehousing
1.9%
5
Other industries
4.6%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

18.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

42.1% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

11.4% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.2% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

8.8% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

6.8% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

3.8% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

3.8% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Meteorologists All Jobs Average
NSW 18.1 31.6
VIC 42.1 25.6
QLD 11.4 20.0
SA 5.2 7.0
WA 8.8 10.8
TAS 6.8 2.0
NT 3.8 1.0
ACT 3.8 1.9


  • Around 87% of Meteorologists live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Victoria and Tasmania have a large share of employment relative to their population size.

    The region with the largest share of workers is Melbourne - Inner.

    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
30%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Meteorologists is 42 years. This is similar to the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 35 to 44 years.

    Females make up 30% of the workforce. This is 18 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 Meteorologists All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 3.0 9.3
25-34 25.3 22.9
35-44 28.4 22.0
45-54 25.9 21.6
55-59 8.5 9.0
60-64 3.9 6.0
65 and Over 4.9 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

A bachelor degree in science majoring in mathematics, physics or a related field is needed to work as a Meteorologist. Some workers have a postgraduate qualification.

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)

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 Meteorologists All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 68.2 10.1
Bachelor degree 24.1 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 3.3 11.6
Certificate III/IV 1.5 21.1
Year 12 2.9 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 Natural and Physical Science Professionals who can communicate clearly, work well in a team and have strong interpersonal skills.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 71%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 70%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 61%

    Active learning

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

  • 61%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 61%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 59%

    Active listening

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

  • 57%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 55%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 55%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 54%

    Monitoring

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

  • 50%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 50%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 48%

    Time management

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

  • 46%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 46%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 46%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 45%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 45%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 43%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 41%

    Management of personnel resources

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


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 80%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 77%

    Geography

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

  • 71%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 69%

    Physics

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

  • 66%

    English language

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

  • 64%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 62%

    Education and training

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

  • 60%

    Communications and media

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

  • 48%

    Administration and management

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

  • 46%

    Chemistry

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

  • 43%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 43%

    Clerical

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

  • 42%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 39%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 34%

    Psychology

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

  • 33%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 30%

    Transportation

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

  • 27%

    Law and government

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

  • 27%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 26%

    Biology

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 71%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 70%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 70%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 64%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 61%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 59%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 59%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 59%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 57%

    Near vision

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

  • 57%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 57%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 55%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 55%

    Mathematics

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

  • 48%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 46%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 46%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 46%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 45%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 45%

    Originality

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

  • 41%

    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%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 79%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 79%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 76%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 72%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 72%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 72%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 70%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 68%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 68%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 67%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 66%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 62%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 60%

    Working with computers

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

  • 59%

    Working with the public

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

  • 58%

    Coaching and developing others

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

  • 57%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 55%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 52%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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

  • 46%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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


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%

    Analytical

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

  • 62%

    Practical

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

  • 52%

    Administrative

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

  • 52%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 43%

    Enterprising

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

  • 33%

    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%

    Achievement

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

  • 71%

    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.

  • 71%

    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%

    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.

  • 67%

    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.

  • 43%

    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:
  • 99%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 95%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 94%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 94%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 92%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 91%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 90%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 89%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 84%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 84%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 83%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 82%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 81%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 79%

    Contact with people

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

  • 76%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 70%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 68%

    Public speaking

    Talk to a group of people.

  • 66%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 62%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 61%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

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, 19-2021.00 - Atmospheric and Space Scientists.


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