Real Estate Sales Agents

ANZSCO ID 6121

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
87,300
Future Growth
9.5%
Weekly Earnings
$1,250
Full-Time Share
75%
Female Share
50%
Average age
44

Summary

Real Estate Sales Agents sell, lease and manage commercial and private properties, and broker the buying and selling of businesses.

Tasks

  • accepting and listing properties and businesses for sale and lease, conducting inspections, and advising buyers on the merits of properties and businesses and the terms of sale or lease

  • advising vendors of sales and marketing options such as sale by auction and open house inspections

  • cataloguing and detailing land, buildings and businesses for sale or lease and arranging advertising

  • assessing buyers' needs and locating properties and businesses for their consideration

  • offering valuations and advice for buying and selling properties and businesses, and structuring the terms of settlement

  • collecting and holding rent monies from tenants, and remitting to owner on agreed basis

  • monitoring and addressing non-compliance with terms and conditions of tenancy and pursuing rental arrears

  • developing and implementing business plans, budgets, policies and procedures for the agency

  • may arrange finance, land brokerage, conveyancing and maintenance of premises

Characteristics

Job Type
Sales Workers
Skill Level
Medium skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Below average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

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 strongly
  • is likely to reach 119,800 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
9.5%
(or 10,400 jobs)
From
109,500
in 2021
To
119,800
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 77,200
2012 76,600
2013 75,500
2014 88,700
2015 89,500
2016 91,200
2017 110,600
2018 91,000
2019 97,500
2020 89,100
2021 109,500
2026 119,800

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 80% of people employed as Real Estate Sales Agents 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 46 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

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

    Median full-time earnings are $1,250 per week, this is much lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,019
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,538

    Median hourly earnings are $32, 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 Real Estate Sales Agents All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,250 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
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services
87.3%
2
Public Administration and Safety
2.9%
3
Accommodation and Food Services
1.9%
4
Construction
1.6%
5
Other industries
6.2%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

32.6% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

22.8% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

25.2% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

10.5% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.5% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.7% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.4% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Real Estate Sales Agents All Jobs Average
NSW 32.6 31.6
VIC 22.8 25.6
QLD 25.2 20.0
SA 5.3 7.0
WA 10.5 10.8
TAS 1.5 2.0
NT 0.7 1.0
ACT 1.4 1.9


  • Around 63% of Real Estate Sales Agents live in capital cities, similar to the all jobs average of 62%.

    Queensland has a large share of employment relative to its 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
50%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Real Estate Sales Agents is 44 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 50% of the workforce. This is similar to 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 Real Estate Sales Agents All Jobs Average
15-19 1.0 5.0
20-24 7.3 9.3
25-34 22.6 22.9
35-44 21.0 22.0
45-54 22.2 21.6
55-59 9.7 9.0
60-64 7.4 6.0
65 and Over 8.9 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 a Real Estate Sales Agent. Although some workers have a certificate III or IV in real estate practice or property services.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Retail Services 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 Real Estate Sales Agents All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 6.8 10.1
Bachelor degree 19.2 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 20.1 11.6
Certificate III/IV 22.8 21.1
Year 12 19.6 18.1
Year 11 3.6 4.8
Year 10 and below 7.8 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 Real Estate Sales Agents who have strong interpersonal skills, communicate well, provide good customer service and are well presented.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 57%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 57%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 57%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 55%

    Active listening

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

  • 55%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 54%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 54%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 52%

    Time management

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

  • 50%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 50%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 48%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 48%

    Active learning

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

  • 48%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 48%

    Monitoring

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

  • 45%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 45%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 45%

    Management of financial resources

    Figuring out how money is needed to do something, and keeping track of the money that's being spent.

  • 45%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 43%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 39%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 78%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 74%

    Clerical

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

  • 73%

    Administration and management

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

  • 69%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 63%

    English language

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

  • 61%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 60%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 54%

    Building and construction

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

  • 54%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 53%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 52%

    Law and government

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

  • 52%

    Education and training

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

  • 49%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 45%

    Psychology

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

  • 42%

    Mechanical

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

  • 40%

    Communications and media

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

  • 31%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 30%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 29%

    Technical design

    Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

  • 24%

    Telecommunications

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 61%

    Near vision

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

  • 59%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 59%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 59%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 55%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 54%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 54%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 52%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 52%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 48%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 46%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 45%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 45%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 45%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 43%

    Originality

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

  • 41%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 39%

    Mathematics

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

  • 37%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 37%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 34%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.


Activities

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

  • 80%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 75%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 73%

    Managing payments and orders

    Monitoring and controlling resources and the spending of money.

  • 72%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 72%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 69%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 69%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 68%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 67%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 66%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 63%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.

  • 63%

    Providing office support

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

  • 62%

    Working with the public

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

  • 60%

    Coming up with systems and processes

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

  • 58%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 58%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 58%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 54%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 54%

    Working with computers

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

  • 52%

    Checking for errors or defects

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


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%

    Enterprising

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

  • 81%

    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%

    Practical

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

  • 19%

    Creative

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

  • 14%

    Analytical

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


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 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.

  • 69%

    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.

  • 62%

    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.

  • 62%

    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.

  • 52%

    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.

  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 97%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 95%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 90%

    Contact with people

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

  • 88%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 85%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 85%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 85%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 82%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 81%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 79%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 78%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 78%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 75%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 74%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 73%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 69%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 68%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 66%

    Repeating same tasks

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

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, 11-9141.00 - Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers.


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