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Telecommunications Engineers

ANZSCO ID 263311

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
2,700
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
95%
Female Share
9%
Average age
40
About this data

Summary

Telecommunication Engineers design and develop telecommunications systems, devices and products.

Tasks

  • Designs, builds, configures and commissions devices, networks and systems and ensures systems interconnect with equipment from different manufacturers, service providers and users.

  • Compiles proposals to define goals, identifies scope, background and need, and ascertains cost of the proposal.

  • Evaluates and procures new products and services.

  • Ensures compliance with laws, regulations, policies and procedures in the provision of systems.

  • Selects and develops new sites by locating sites, filing, drawing up, and drafting drawings, and following through to approval.

  • Determines appropriate configurations of hardware and software, ensuring desired performance of equipment.

  • Prepares and interprets specifications, drawings and regulations for the use of equipment.

  • Determines the type and arrangement of circuits, transformers, circuit-breakers, transmission lines and equipment.

  • Identifies and analyses problems and needs of existing systems, to determine the most appropriate means of reducing, eliminating and avoiding current and future problems and improve communications.

  • Monitors systems to assess need for updates, upgrades, enhancements, preventive maintenance and new systems.

  • Assesses performance levels of system hardware and software to project future needs, and develops short and long-terms plans for updating equipment, adding capabilities, enhancing existing systems and providing improved telecommunications.

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
2633 Telecommunications Engineering Professionals
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Interests
  • Practical
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

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, Telecommunications Engineering Professionals, under the outlook section.

Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 95% of people employed as Telecommunications Engineers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 29 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
Information Media and Telecommunications
49.1%
2
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
13.6%
3
Wholesale Trade
10.5%
4
Public Administration and Safety
7.1%
5
Other industries
16.4%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

39.6% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

30.2% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

12.0% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

4.6% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

8.4% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

0.7% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.8% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

3.7% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Telecommunications Engineers All Jobs Average
NSW 39.6 31.6
VIC 30.2 25.6
QLD 12.0 20.0
SA 4.6 7.0
WA 8.4 10.8
TAS 0.7 2.0
NT 0.8 1.0
ACT 3.7 1.9


  • Around 88% of Telecommunications Engineers live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    New South Wales and Victoria have a large share of employment relative to their population size.

    The regions with the largest share of workers are:

    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
40
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
9%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Telecommunications Engineers is 40 years. This is the same as the all jobs average.

    A large share of workers are aged 35 to 44 years.

    Females make up 9% of the workforce. This is 39 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 Telecommunications Engineers All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 2.5 9.3
25-34 28.0 22.9
35-44 31.3 22.0
45-54 23.3 21.6
55-59 8.2 9.0
60-64 4.7 6.0
65 and Over 1.9 4.2
Median Age 40 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 bachelor or postgraduate degree in engineering with a major in telecommunications is usually needed to work as a Telecommunications Engineer. Some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification.

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 Information and Communications Technology 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 Telecommunications Engineers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 25.1 10.1
Bachelor degree 43.6 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 13.0 11.6
Certificate III/IV 10.7 21.1
Year 12 5.8 18.1
Year 11 0.7 4.8
Year 10 and below 1.1 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 Telecommunications Engineering Professionals who can communicate clearly, work well in a team and have strong interpersonal skills.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 55%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 54%

    Active listening

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

  • 54%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 52%

    Active learning

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

  • 52%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 50%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 50%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 50%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 48%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 48%

    Monitoring

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

  • 48%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 46%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 46%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 46%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 45%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 45%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 45%

    Time management

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

  • 43%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 41%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 36%

    Equipment maintenance

    Maintaining equipment and deciding what maintenance will be needed in the future.

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 86%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 73%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 70%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 65%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 61%

    Administration and management

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

  • 61%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 61%

    Clerical

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

  • 58%

    Technical design

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

  • 56%

    English language

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

  • 53%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 46%

    Education and training

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

  • 44%

    Physics

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

  • 43%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 42%

    Building and construction

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

  • 41%

    Law and government

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

  • 41%

    Communications and media

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

  • 38%

    Economics and accounting

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

  • 37%

    Mechanical

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

  • 37%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 35%

    Production and processing

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

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 59%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 55%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 55%

    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%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 52%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 52%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 50%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 50%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 48%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 48%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 46%

    Originality

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

  • 46%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 46%

    Colour discrimination

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

  • 46%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 45%

    Mathematics

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

  • 45%

    Working with numbers

    Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

  • 43%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 43%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

Activities

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

  • 84%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 77%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 72%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 71%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 71%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 70%

    Communicating with the public

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

  • 69%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 69%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 68%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 68%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 67%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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

  • 66%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 66%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 65%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 63%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 61%

    Working with computers

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

  • 59%

    Assessing and evaluating things

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

  • 58%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 57%

    Leading and encouraging a team

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

  • 52%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

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

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.

  • 86%

    Practical

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

  • 76%

    Enterprising

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

  • 52%

    Administrative

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

  • 43%

    Analytical

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

  • 19%

    Creative

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

  • 19%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

Values

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

  • 71%

    Achievement

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

  • 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%

    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.

  • 57%

    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.

  • 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%

    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.

Demands

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

  • 98%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 98%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 92%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 88%

    Contact with people

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

  • 86%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 85%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 82%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 81%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 81%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 80%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 78%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 77%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 77%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 73%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 72%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 69%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 67%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 65%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 63%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 63%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

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, 15-1143.01 - Telecommunications Engineering Specialists.

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