Nutritionists

ANZSCO ID 251112

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
850
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
48%
Female Share
88%
Average age
37

Summary

Nutritionists integrate, disseminate and apply knowledge drawn from the relevant sciences to enhance positive effects of food on the health and well-being of human populations.

Tasks

  • Plans diets and menus, and instructs people on the requirements and importance of diet and on the planning and preparation of food.

  • Supervises the preparation and serving of meals.

  • Collects, organises and assesses data relating to health and nutritional status of individuals, groups and communities.

  • Monitors food intake and quality to provide nutritional care.

  • Calculates nutritional values of food served.

  • Plans, conducts and evaluates nutrition intervention programs and compiles educational material.

  • Provides nutrition assessments, nutrition management, and nutrition education, research and training.

  • Consults with other health professionals and related workers to manage the dietary and nutritional needs of patients.

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
Interests
  • Analytical
  • Enterprising
  • 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, Nutrition Professionals, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 48% of people employed as Nutritionists work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 18 percentage points below 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
Health Care and Social Assistance
49.4%
2
Retail Trade
14.9%
3
Education and Training
6.1%
4
Manufacturing
5.0%
5
Other industries
18.3%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

37.2% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

23.2% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

23.1% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

3.1% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

8.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.9% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

2.0% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.4% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Nutritionists All Jobs Average
NSW 37.2 31.6
VIC 23.2 25.6
QLD 23.1 20.0
SA 3.1 7.0
WA 8.2 10.8
TAS 1.9 2.0
NT 2.0 1.0
ACT 1.4 1.9


  • Around 69% of Nutritionists live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    New South Wales 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
37
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
88%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Nutritionists is 37 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 88% of the workforce. This is 40 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 Nutritionists All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 10.0 9.3
25-34 35.5 22.9
35-44 23.7 22.0
45-54 18.2 21.6
55-59 6.5 9.0
60-64 3.9 6.0
65 and Over 2.1 4.2
Median Age 37 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 nutrition or a related science field is needed to work as a Nutritionist. 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 Nutritionists All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 22.3 10.1
Bachelor degree 51.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 17.5 11.6
Certificate III/IV 3.2 21.1
Year 12 4.1 18.1
Year 11 0.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 1.2 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 Nutrition Professionals who can communicate clearly with a diverse range of people, are caring and empathetic and can work well in a team.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 70%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 63%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 61%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 59%

    Monitoring

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

  • 59%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 57%

    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.

  • 57%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 57%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 57%

    Active learning

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

  • 57%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 57%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 57%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 55%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 55%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 55%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 54%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 54%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 52%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 50%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 78%

    Education and training

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

  • 76%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 68%

    Psychology

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

  • 64%

    Therapy and counselling

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

  • 62%

    English language

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

  • 59%

    Clerical

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

  • 59%

    Biology

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

  • 58%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 56%

    Medicine and dentistry

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

  • 55%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 52%

    Administration and management

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

  • 51%

    Chemistry

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

  • 50%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 49%

    Philosophy and theology

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

  • 47%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 45%

    Communications and media

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

  • 40%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 39%

    Law and government

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

  • 38%

    Food production

    Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.

  • 33%

    Economics and accounting

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 68%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 66%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 63%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 61%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 57%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 57%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 57%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 57%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 55%

    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%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 55%

    Originality

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

  • 55%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 54%

    Near vision

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

  • 45%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 43%

    Mathematics

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

  • 41%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 41%

    Memorization

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

  • 41%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 39%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.


Activities

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

  • 75%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 73%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 71%

    Working with the public

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

  • 71%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 71%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 71%

    Coaching and developing others

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

  • 71%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 70%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 69%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 66%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 66%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 66%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 66%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 66%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 61%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 59%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 58%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 58%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 55%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 45%

    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%

    Analytical

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

  • 90%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 57%

    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.

  • 33%

    Practical

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

  • 29%

    Administrative

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


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.

  • 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.

  • 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%

    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%

    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.

  • 98%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 98%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 92%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 91%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 90%

    Contact with people

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

  • 90%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 88%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 87%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 83%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 82%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 80%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 79%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 78%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 75%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 73%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 70%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 67%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 67%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 65%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

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, 29-1031.00 - Dietitians and Nutritionists.


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