Home / Occupation profile / Bar Attendants and Baristas
Print Print

Bar Attendants and Baristas

ANZSCO ID 4311

Find Vacancies Opens in a new window

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
128,300
Future Growth
7.7%
Weekly Earnings
$1,038
Full-Time Share
22%
Female Share
59%
Average age
24
About this data

Summary

Bar Attendants and Baristas prepare, mix and serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to patrons in bars in licensed establishments, and prepare and serve espresso coffee and other hot beverages to patrons in cafes, coffee shops and dining establishments.

Tasks

  • preparing, serving and selling cocktails, mixed drinks, bottled, canned and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and a variety of coffee beverages such as lattes, cappuccinos and other espresso-based beverages

  • cleaning and maintaining bar service areas, coffee-making areas and espresso machines

  • collecting payment for sales and operating cash registers

  • promoting services and products

  • washing glassware and arranging bottles and glasses

  • tapping kegs and attaching supply lines

  • replenishing drink dispensers, shelves and refrigerators

  • selling light snacks

  • selecting and grinding coffee

Characteristics

Job Type
Community And Personal Service Workers
Skill Level
Lower skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
4311 Bar Attendants and Baristas This occupation is Current selected
Unemployment Rate
Above average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Light
  • 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 93,400 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
7.7%
(or 6,700 jobs)
From
86,700
in 2021
To
93,400
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 86,000
2012 87,700
2013 89,600
2014 88,000
2015 93,600
2016 94,300
2017 110,800
2018 96,900
2019 108,300
2020 98,900
2021 86,700
2026 93,400

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 29% of people employed as Bar Attendants and Baristas work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 37 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 42 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,038 per week, this is much lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $972
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,216

    Median hourly earnings are $27, 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 Bar Attendants and Baristas All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,038 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
Accommodation and Food Services
88.2%
2
Arts and Recreation Services
4.4%
3
Manufacturing
3.5%
4
Retail Trade
1.2%
5
Other industries
2.5%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

37.5% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

20.3% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

21.6% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.2% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

9.8% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.9% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.7% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

2.0% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Bar Attendants and Baristas All Jobs Average
NSW 37.5 31.6
VIC 20.3 25.6
QLD 21.6 20.0
SA 6.2 7.0
WA 9.8 10.8
TAS 1.9 2.0
NT 0.7 1.0
ACT 2.0 1.9


  • Around 41% of Bar Attendants and Baristas live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    New South Wales 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
24
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
59%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Bar Attendants and Baristas is 24 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 20 to 24 years.

    Females make up 59% of the workforce. This is 11 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 Bar Attendants and Baristas All Jobs Average
15-19 15.8 5.0
20-24 36.0 9.3
25-34 26.7 22.9
35-44 9.4 22.0
45-54 6.9 21.6
55-59 2.7 9.0
60-64 1.7 6.0
65 and Over 1.0 4.2
Median Age 24 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 Bar Attendant or Barista. Some workers have a certificate III in hospitality.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Tourism, Travel and Hospitality 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 Bar Attendants and Baristas All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 1.8 10.1
Bachelor degree 11.1 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 8.5 11.6
Certificate III/IV 14.6 21.1
Year 12 45.7 18.1
Year 11 6.3 4.8
Year 10 and below 12.1 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 Bar Attendants and Baristas with good interpersonal skill, are well presented and provide good customer service.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 46%

    Active listening

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

  • 45%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 45%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 43%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Monitoring

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

  • 41%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 39%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 39%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 39%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 37%

    Active learning

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

  • 37%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 37%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 37%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 36%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 36%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 34%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 32%

    Time management

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

  • 30%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 29%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 74%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 51%

    Psychology

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

  • 44%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 39%

    English language

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

  • 38%

    Education and training

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

  • 35%

    Administration and management

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

  • 35%

    Production and processing

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

  • 35%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 34%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 34%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 31%

    Food production

    Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.

  • 31%

    Law and government

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

  • 25%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 21%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 21%

    Clerical

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

  • 20%

    Mechanical

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

  • 17%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 15%

    Communications and media

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

  • 15%

    Therapy and counselling

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

  • 13%

    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.

  • 52%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 50%

    Near vision

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

  • 50%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 46%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 46%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 46%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 45%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 45%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 43%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 41%

    Trunk strength

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

  • 41%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 41%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 41%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 41%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 41%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 39%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 39%

    Manual dexterity

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

  • 39%

    Whole body coordination

    Move your arms, legs, and body together.

  • 36%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

Activities

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

  • 78%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 77%

    Working with the public

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

  • 72%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 64%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 62%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 59%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 58%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 56%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 53%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 52%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 51%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 50%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 49%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 48%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 47%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 45%

    Leading and encouraging a team

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

  • 43%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

    Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.

  • 43%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 39%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 37%

    Documenting or recording information

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

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%

    Administrative

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

  • 81%

    Enterprising

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

  • 62%

    Practical

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

  • 52%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 29%

    Creative

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

  • 19%

    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.

  • 76%

    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.

  • 57%

    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%

    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.

  • 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.

  • 33%

    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.

Demands

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

  • 99%

    Contact with people

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

  • 95%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 91%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 90%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 88%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 86%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 82%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 82%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 81%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 81%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 80%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 79%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 78%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 78%

    Repeating same tasks

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

  • 77%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 75%

    Walking and running

    Spend time walking and running.

  • 73%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 71%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 69%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 67%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

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, 35-3011.00 - Bartenders.

Links and downloads

Back to top