Organisational Psychologists

ANZSCO ID 272313

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
450
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
65%
Female Share
70%
Average age
41

Summary

Organisational Psychologists apply psychological principles and techniques to study occupational behaviour, working conditions and organisational structure, and solve problems of work performance and organisational design.

Tasks

  • Develops interview techniques, psychological tests and other aids in workplace selection, placement, appraisal and promotion.

  • Conducts surveys and research studies on job design, work groups, morale, motivation, supervision and management.

  • Performs job analyses and establishes job requirements by observing and interviewing employees and managers.


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, Psychologists and Psychotherapists, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 65% of people employed as Organisational Psychologists work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is similar to the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 45 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
31.0%
2
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
25.0%
3
Public Administration and Safety
21.7%
4
Administrative and Support Services
8.9%
5
Other industries
11.8%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

32.2% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

23.3% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

22.9% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

8.4% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

0.0% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.3% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

4.4% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Organisational Psychologists All Jobs Average
NSW 32.2 31.6
VIC 23.3 25.6
QLD 22.9 20.0
SA 7.3 7.0
WA 8.4 10.8
TAS 0.0 2.0
NT 1.3 1.0
ACT 4.4 1.9


  • Around 89% of Organisational Psychologists live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    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
41
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
70%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Organisational Psychologists is 41 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 70% of the workforce. This is 22 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 Organisational Psychologists All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 2.5 9.3
25-34 30.3 22.9
35-44 29.8 22.0
45-54 15.5 21.6
55-59 10.8 9.0
60-64 6.3 6.0
65 and Over 4.9 4.2
Median Age 41 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 specialised postgraduate degree in psychology and a period of supervised practice is needed to work as an Organisational Psychologist.

Registration with the Psychology Board of Australia is required.

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 Organisational Psychologists All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 75.5 10.1
Bachelor degree 23.6 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 0.9 11.6
Certificate III/IV 0.0 21.1
Year 12 0.0 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 Psychologists who are caring, compassionate, empathetic and work well in a team.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 68%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 68%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 66%

    Active listening

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

  • 66%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 61%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 59%

    Monitoring

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

  • 59%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 59%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 59%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 59%

    Active learning

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

  • 59%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 57%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 57%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 57%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 57%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 57%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 55%

    Time management

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

  • 55%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 54%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 48%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 91%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 90%

    Psychology

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

  • 87%

    Education and training

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

  • 77%

    English language

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

  • 74%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 72%

    Administration and management

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

  • 69%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 60%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 59%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 50%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 50%

    Clerical

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

  • 47%

    Therapy and counselling

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

  • 44%

    Communications and media

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

  • 41%

    Law and government

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

  • 34%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 32%

    Philosophy and theology

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

  • 27%

    Geography

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

  • 24%

    Production and processing

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

  • 15%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 15%

    Telecommunications

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 70%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 70%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 68%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 68%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 66%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 61%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 59%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 59%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 57%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 57%

    Originality

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

  • 55%

    Near vision

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

  • 55%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 55%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 55%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 54%

    Mathematics

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

  • 54%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 48%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 43%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 39%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 39%

    Visualization

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


Activities

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

  • 88%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 86%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 83%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 81%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 80%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 78%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 77%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 77%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 75%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 75%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 74%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 73%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 73%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 72%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 71%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 67%

    Coaching and developing others

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

  • 65%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 64%

    Coming up with systems and processes

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

  • 63%

    Leading and encouraging a team

    Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

  • 52%

    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.

  • 90%

    Analytical

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

  • 76%

    Enterprising

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

  • 57%

    Creative

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

  • 57%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 38%

    Administrative

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

  • 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.
  • 88%

    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.

  • 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%

    Achievement

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

  • 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%

    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.

  • 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.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 99%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 97%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 93%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 93%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 92%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 91%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 91%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 90%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 86%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 85%

    Contact with people

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

  • 85%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 83%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 81%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

  • 80%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 78%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 76%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 75%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 68%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 66%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 65%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

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, 19-3032.00 - Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.


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