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Postal Delivery Officers

ANZSCO ID 561212

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
13,500
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
71%
Female Share
25%
Average age
50
About this data

Summary

Postal Delivery Officers deliver mail on foot, by bicycle or by motorised transport over allocated delivery rounds.

Tasks

  • Sorts and sequences items for delivery.

  • Delivers mail, parcels, documents and other items to customers' premises and mailboxes.

  • Loads and unloads mail conveyances and internal mail handling equipment.

  • Maintains log books, directories, mail counts, equipment maintenance logs and other delivery records.

  • Assists with receipting inward mail, checking wrongly addressed, mis-sorted, undelivered and redirected mail, and processing freepost and underpaid mail and some freight.

Characteristics

Job Type
Clerical And Administrative Workers
Skill Level
Entry level
ANZSCO Occupation group
5612 Couriers and Postal Deliverers
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Administrative
Physical Demand
  • Light
  • Medium

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, Couriers and Postal Deliverers, under the outlook section.

Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 71% of people employed as Postal Delivery Officers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 5 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
Transport, Postal and Warehousing
97.7%
2
Public Administration and Safety
0.6%
3
Retail Trade
0.1%
4
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
0.1%
5
Other industries
0.7%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

34.0% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

24.5% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

19.8% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.9% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

9.8% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.6% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.6% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.7% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Postal Delivery Officers All Jobs Average
NSW 34.0 31.6
VIC 24.5 25.6
QLD 19.8 20.0
SA 6.9 7.0
WA 9.8 10.8
TAS 2.6 2.0
NT 0.6 1.0
ACT 1.7 1.9


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
50
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
25%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Postal Delivery Officers is 50 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 25% of the workforce. This is 23 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 Postal Delivery Officers All Jobs Average
15-19 0.6 5.0
20-24 3.0 9.3
25-34 10.1 22.9
35-44 19.2 22.0
45-54 33.4 21.6
55-59 16.8 9.0
60-64 11.1 6.0
65 and Over 5.7 4.2
Median Age 50 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 Postal Delivery Officer. Some workers have a certificate I or II in driving operations.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Transport and Logistics Training Package 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 Postal Delivery Officers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 2.0 10.1
Bachelor degree 6.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 7.6 11.6
Certificate III/IV 21.6 21.1
Year 12 24.3 18.1
Year 11 10.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 27.6 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 Couriers and Postal Deliverers who are reliable, have good people skills and who can work independently.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 43%

    Active listening

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

  • 41%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 39%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 39%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 39%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 37%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 34%

    Time management

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

  • 32%

    Monitoring

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

  • 30%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 30%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 30%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 30%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 30%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 30%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 30%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 29%

    Active learning

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

  • 29%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 18%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 16%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 16%

    Learning strategies

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

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 67%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 44%

    Education and training

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

  • 43%

    English language

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

  • 42%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 41%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 40%

    Transportation

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

  • 37%

    Administration and management

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

  • 34%

    Clerical

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

  • 34%

    Production and processing

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

  • 30%

    Law and government

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

  • 30%

    Psychology

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

  • 29%

    Geography

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

  • 28%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 28%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 25%

    Communications and media

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

  • 25%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 17%

    Mechanical

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

  • 12%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 11%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 11%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 52%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 50%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 43%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 43%

    Control precision

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

  • 43%

    Manual dexterity

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

  • 43%

    Near vision

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

  • 43%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 41%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 41%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 41%

    Multilimb coordination

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

  • 41%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 39%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 39%

    Extent flexibility

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

  • 39%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 39%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 39%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 37%

    Static strength

    Lift, push, pull, or carry things.

  • 37%

    Trunk strength

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

  • 34%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 34%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

Activities

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

  • 80%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 65%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 51%

    Working with the public

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

  • 50%

    Driving vehicles or equipment

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

  • 49%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 44%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 44%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 38%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 37%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 36%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 36%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 35%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 35%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 31%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 29%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 28%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 26%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 26%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 22%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 22%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

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%

    Administrative

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

  • 81%

    Practical

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

  • 48%

    Enterprising

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

  • 43%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 19%

    Analytical

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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 52%

    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.

  • 50%

    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.

  • 43%

    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.

  • 38%

    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.

  • 33%

    Achievement

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

Demands

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

  • 98%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 95%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

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

  • 93%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 90%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 85%

    Repeating same tasks

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

  • 85%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 84%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 82%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 82%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 81%

    Very hot or cold temperatures

    Work in very hot or cold temperatures.

  • 81%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 79%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 76%

    Contact with people

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

  • 75%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 70%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 68%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 67%

    Bending or twisting your body

    Spend time bending or twisting your body.

  • 66%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 64%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 63%

    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, 43-5052.00 - Postal Service Mail Carriers.

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