Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers

ANZSCO ID 8419

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
20,700
Future Growth
6.1%
Weekly Earnings
$1,154
Full-Time Share
65%
Female Share
11%
Average age
44

Summary

Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers includes a range of occupations such as Hunter-Trappers and Pest Controllers.

Tasks

  • hunts, traps and shoots animals for food, pelts, research and for pest control registration or licensing may be required

  • applies pest or weed management techniques to kill and control pests or weeds in domestic, commercial and industrial areas, roadsides, and private and public lands registration or licensing may be required

Characteristics

Job Type
Labourers
Skill Level
Lower skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Above average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Administrative
Physical Demand
  • Medium
  • Heavy

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers:

  • is expected to grow moderately
  • is likely to reach 8,600 by 2026.
  • Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

    Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

    Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
6.1%
(or 500 jobs)
From
8,100
in 2021
To
8,600
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 13,400
2012 10,400
2013 10,300
2014 10,900
2015 10,400
2016 12,000
2017 13,200
2018 17,500
2019 13,400
2020 14,300
2021 8,100
2026 8,600

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 69% of people employed as Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 3 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 44 hours per week in their main job. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    More than a third of workers regularly work overtime or extra hours (either paid or unpaid).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,154 per week, this is much lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,092
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,346

    Median hourly earnings are $29, this is lower than the all jobs median ($41 per hour).

    Sources: Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average. Overtime hours: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, 2021. Full-time median earnings and median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021. Compared to all jobs median.

Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Earnings Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,154 1,593
Total Earnings 0 0

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.


Industries

Main industries

1
Administrative and Support Services
49.6%
2
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
24.8%
3
Public Administration and Safety
6.0%
4
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
4.3%
5
Other industries
14.5%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

35.9% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

14.2% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

26.2% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

8.0% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.6% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.6% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.4% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers All Jobs Average
NSW 35.9 31.6
VIC 14.2 25.6
QLD 26.2 20.0
SA 8.0 7.0
WA 11.6 10.8
TAS 1.6 2.0
NT 1.4 1.0
ACT 1.0 1.9


  • Around 60% of Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    Queensland and New South Wales 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
44
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
11%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers is 44 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 11% of the workforce. This is 37 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 Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers All Jobs Average
15-19 2.2 5.0
20-24 9.3 9.3
25-34 18.6 22.9
35-44 21.6 22.0
45-54 25.3 21.6
55-59 11.0 9.0
60-64 7.2 6.0
65 and Over 4.8 4.2
Median Age 44 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 essential to work as an Other Farm, Forestry or Garden Worker. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in pest management, meat processing or another related field.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore 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 Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 2.4 10.1
Bachelor degree 10.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 10.1 11.6
Certificate III/IV 36.9 21.1
Year 12 15.2 18.1
Year 11 6.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 18.5 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 Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers who are fit, reliable and can work independently when needed but also as part of a team.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 48%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 43%

    Active listening

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

  • 43%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 43%

    Monitoring

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

  • 43%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 43%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 43%

    Time management

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

  • 43%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 43%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 41%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 41%

    Active learning

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

  • 41%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 41%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 41%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 41%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 39%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 37%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 37%

    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.

  • 61%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 44%

    Chemistry

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

  • 43%

    Biology

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

  • 41%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 40%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 34%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 34%

    Mechanical

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

  • 34%

    Administration and management

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

  • 33%

    English language

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

  • 32%

    Law and government

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

  • 32%

    Clerical

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

  • 31%

    Education and training

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

  • 28%

    Production and processing

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

  • 28%

    Building and construction

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

  • 26%

    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%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 24%

    Transportation

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

  • 22%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 20%

    Physics

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

  • 20%

    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..

  • 52%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 52%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 48%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 46%

    Near vision

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

  • 46%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 46%

    Extent flexibility

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

  • 45%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 45%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 43%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 43%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 43%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 43%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 43%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 43%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 43%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 43%

    Control precision

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

  • 41%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 41%

    Manual dexterity

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

  • 41%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 39%

    Colour discrimination

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


Activities

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

  • 67%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 62%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 59%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 58%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 58%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 57%

    Working with the public

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

  • 56%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 55%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 55%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 55%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 55%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 55%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 52%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 47%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 45%

    Influencing people

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

  • 45%

    Driving vehicles or equipment

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

  • 45%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 43%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 43%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 38%

    Checking compliance with standards

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


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.

  • 57%

    Administrative

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

  • 43%

    Enterprising

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

  • 29%

    Analytical

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

  • 29%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 19%

    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%

    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%

    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.

  • 48%

    Achievement

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

  • 43%

    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.

  • 33%

    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%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

    Work in a closed vehicle (e.g., car).

  • 94%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 93%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 93%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 91%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 90%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 88%

    Contact with people

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

  • 88%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 87%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 84%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 83%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 83%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 82%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 81%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

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

  • 80%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 79%

    Walking and running

    Spend time walking and running.

  • 77%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 74%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 72%

    Very hot or cold temperatures

    Work in very hot or cold temperatures.

  • 72%

    Minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings

    Be exposed to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings.

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, 37-2021.00 - Pest Control Workers.


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