Home / Occupation profile / Medical Technicians
Print Print

Medical Technicians

ANZSCO ID 3112

Find Vacancies Opens in a new window

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
31,300
Future Growth
20.7%
Weekly Earnings
$1,178
Full-Time Share
53%
Female Share
79%
Average age
42
About this data

Summary

Medical Technicians operate anaesthetic, cardiac, operating theatre and medical testing equipment, perform and assist with laboratory tests, and fill prescriptions in support of Health Professionals.

Tasks

  • operating equipment used in diagnosing and monitoring disorders of the heart, kidneys, nervous system and hearing, and in anaesthesia

  • undertaking and assisting with medical analytical procedures and assisting Anaesthetists and surgical teams

  • recording the electrical activity of the heart, from which the heart rate is measured and pattern and rhythm interpreted

  • preparing and staining slides and tissue sections to study the cells of blood and for histological examination

  • performing diagnostic tests on tissues and body fluids and analysing the chemical constituents of blood, urine, faeces and tissues

  • testing for diseases by looking for the presence of antibodies and the products of immune response in samples

  • setting up, checking and maintaining operating theatres, anaesthetic workstations, life support machines and associated equipment

  • referring prescriptions to Pharmacists and assisting in preparing medications

Characteristics

Job Type
Technicians And Trades Workers
Skill Level
High skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
3112 Medical Technicians This occupation is Current selected
Unemployment Rate
Below average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Administrative
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Light
  • Medium

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 very strongly
  • is likely to reach 42,400 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
20.7%
(or 7,300 jobs)
From
35,200
in 2021
To
42,400
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 27,400
2012 25,000
2013 31,800
2014 25,000
2015 30,800
2016 34,900
2017 23,900
2018 34,900
2019 25,400
2020 32,400
2021 35,200
2026 42,400

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 53% of people employed as Medical Technicians work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 13 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 41 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,178 per week, this is much lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,060
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,462

    Median hourly earnings are $31, 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. 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 Medical Technicians All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,178 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
Health Care and Social Assistance
80.2%
2
Retail Trade
9.5%
3
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
3.0%
4
Public Administration and Safety
3.0%
5
Other industries
4.3%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

30.2% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

26.5% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

19.7% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.6% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.9% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.0% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.6% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.4% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Medical Technicians All Jobs Average
NSW 30.2 31.6
VIC 26.5 25.6
QLD 19.7 20.0
SA 7.6 7.0
WA 11.9 10.8
TAS 2.0 2.0
NT 0.6 1.0
ACT 1.4 1.9


  • Around 61% of Medical Technicians live in capital cities, similar to 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
42
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
79%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Medical Technicians is 42 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 79% of the workforce. This is 31 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 Medical Technicians All Jobs Average
15-19 1.1 5.0
20-24 9.2 9.3
25-34 23.8 22.9
35-44 22.5 22.0
45-54 23.7 21.6
55-59 10.9 9.0
60-64 6.0 6.0
65 and Over 2.8 4.2
Median Age 42 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 formal qualification in a relevant field is usually needed to work as a Medical Technician. Vocational Education and Training (VET) and university are both common study pathways.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Health Industry and Laboratory Operations 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 Medical Technicians All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 6.2 10.1
Bachelor degree 23.2 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 18.2 11.6
Certificate III/IV 29.1 21.1
Year 12 13.7 18.1
Year 11 3.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 6.5 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 Medical Technicians who have good people skills, a high attention to detail and are accurate.

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.

  • 48%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 48%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 45%

    Active listening

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

  • 45%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 45%

    Active learning

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

  • 45%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 45%

    Monitoring

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

  • 43%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 43%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 43%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 43%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 43%

    Quality control analysis

    Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.

  • 43%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 43%

    Time management

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

  • 43%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 41%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 39%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 63%

    Chemistry

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

  • 62%

    Biology

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

  • 61%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 59%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 56%

    English language

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

  • 55%

    Clerical

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

  • 54%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 47%

    Medicine and dentistry

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

  • 46%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 45%

    Production and processing

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

  • 44%

    Education and training

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

  • 36%

    Mechanical

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

  • 33%

    Law and government

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

  • 32%

    Psychology

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

  • 28%

    Administration and management

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

  • 28%

    Physics

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

  • 26%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 19%

    Communications and media

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

  • 18%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 14%

    Telecommunications

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

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 55%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 55%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 54%

    Near vision

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

  • 54%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 52%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 50%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 45%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 45%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 45%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 43%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 43%

    Colour discrimination

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

  • 43%

    Control precision

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

  • 43%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 43%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 43%

    Manual dexterity

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

  • 43%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 43%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 43%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 41%

    Mathematics

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

  • 41%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

Activities

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

  • 80%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 76%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 76%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 73%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 71%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 69%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 68%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 65%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 65%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 64%

    Working with computers

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

  • 63%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 62%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 62%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 61%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 59%

    Controlling equipment or machines

    Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).

  • 58%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 56%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 52%

    Working with electronic equipment

    Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing electronic devices and equipment.

  • 49%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 47%

    Leading and encouraging a team

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

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.

  • 81%

    Analytical

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

  • 81%

    Practical

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

  • 62%

    Administrative

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

  • 57%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 24%

    Creative

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

  • 24%

    Enterprising

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

Values

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

  • 76%

    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.

  • 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%

    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.

  • 48%

    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%

    Achievement

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

  • 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.

Demands

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

  • 99%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 98%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 97%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 95%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

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

  • 93%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 88%

    Contact with people

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

  • 87%

    Repeating same tasks

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

  • 84%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 83%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 81%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 78%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 78%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 78%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 76%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 75%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 75%

    Dangerous conditions

    Work near dangers like high voltage electricity, flammable material, explosives or chemicals.

  • 74%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 72%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 72%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 71%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other 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, 29-2012.00 - Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians.

Links and downloads

Back to top