Transport Operations Inspectors

ANZSCO ID 599518

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
990
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
92%
Female Share
22%
Average age
45

Summary

Transport Operations Inspectors monitor scheduled train, tram and bus services and investigate accidents, complaints and service disruptions.

Specialisations: Bus Inspector, Tram Inspector.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Transport Operations Inspector. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in transport or a related field.

Tasks

  • Ensures that train, tram and bus services are provided according to schedule, monitors the cleanliness, presentation and condition of vehicles, as well as recommending improvements and changes to services.


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, Inspectors and Regulatory Officers, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 92% of people employed as Transport Operations Inspectors work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 26 percentage points above 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).

    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
72.7%
2
Public Administration and Safety
19.2%
3
Financial and Insurance Services
2.7%
4
Mining
1.0%
5
Other industries
3.4%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

24.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

51.1% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

11.7% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

3.9% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

8.1% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

0.3% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.0% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.8% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Transport Operations Inspectors All Jobs Average
NSW 24.1 31.6
VIC 51.1 25.6
QLD 11.7 20.0
SA 3.9 7.0
WA 8.1 10.8
TAS 0.3 2.0
NT 0.0 1.0
ACT 0.8 1.9


  • Around 78% of Transport Operations Inspectors live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    Victoria has a large share of employment relative to its 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
45
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
22%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Transport Operations Inspectors is 45 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 22% of the workforce. This is 26 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 Transport Operations Inspectors All Jobs Average
15-19 0.4 5.0
20-24 1.9 9.3
25-34 20.9 22.9
35-44 25.8 22.0
45-54 27.9 21.6
55-59 11.5 9.0
60-64 7.2 6.0
65 and Over 4.3 4.2
Median Age 45 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 Transport Operations Inspector. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in transport or a related field.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Local Government and Public Sector 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 Transport Operations Inspectors All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 6.0 10.1
Bachelor degree 13.0 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 16.2 11.6
Certificate III/IV 33.7 21.1
Year 12 18.5 18.1
Year 11 5.1 4.8
Year 10 and below 7.5 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 Inspectors and Regulatory Officers who have a good attention to detail, strong people skills and a good work ethic.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 57%

    Monitoring

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

  • 55%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 52%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 50%

    Time management

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

  • 50%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 48%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 46%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 45%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 45%

    Active listening

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

  • 45%

    Operation and control

    Controlling equipment or systems.

  • 45%

    Operation monitoring

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

  • 43%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 43%

    Active learning

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

  • 43%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 43%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 43%

    Quality control analysis

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

  • 43%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 43%

    Systems evaluation

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

  • 41%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 37%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 59%

    Transportation

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

  • 57%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 50%

    Education and training

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

  • 46%

    Mechanical

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

  • 45%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 42%

    English language

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

  • 42%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 39%

    Psychology

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

  • 38%

    Chemistry

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

  • 37%

    Law and government

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

  • 33%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 33%

    Administration and management

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

  • 32%

    Physics

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

  • 30%

    Telecommunications

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

  • 27%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 26%

    Geography

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

  • 26%

    Clerical

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

  • 26%

    Therapy and counselling

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

  • 26%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 24%

    Communications and media

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 55%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 55%

    Auditory attention

    Pay attention to a certain sound when there are other distracting sounds.

  • 54%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 54%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 54%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 50%

    Near vision

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

  • 50%

    Reaction time

    Quickly move your hand, finger, or foot when a sound, light, picture or something else appears.

  • 50%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 48%

    Visualization

    Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

  • 46%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 45%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 45%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 45%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 45%

    Control precision

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

  • 45%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

  • 43%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 43%

    Depth perception

    Decide which thing is closer or further away from you, or decide how far away it is.

  • 43%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.


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.

  • 70%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 60%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 59%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 58%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 57%

    Controlling equipment or machines

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

  • 56%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 55%

    Checking for errors or defects

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

  • 53%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 53%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 51%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 48%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 48%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 47%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 47%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 41%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 41%

    Training and teaching others

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

  • 38%

    Working with computers

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

  • 38%

    Driving vehicles or equipment

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

  • 36%

    Making sense of information and ideas

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


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%

    Enterprising

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

  • 81%

    Practical

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

  • 71%

    Administrative

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

  • 33%

    Analytical

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

  • 19%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 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.
  • 81%

    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.

  • 71%

    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.

  • 62%

    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.

  • 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.

  • 48%

    Achievement

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

  • 43%

    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:
  • 98%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 96%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

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

  • 94%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 93%

    Loud or uncomfortable sounds

    Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.

  • 90%

    Contact with people

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

  • 90%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 87%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

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

  • 86%

    Exposure to contaminants

    Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.

  • 86%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 86%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 86%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 83%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 83%

    Very hot or cold temperatures

    Work in very hot or cold temperatures.

  • 81%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 80%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 79%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 78%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 77%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 76%

    Bright or inadequate lighting

    Work in extremely bright or dark lighting conditions.

  • 75%

    Responsible for outcomes

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

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, 53-4031.00 - Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters.


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