Visual Merchandisers

ANZSCO ID 6395

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
7,800
Future Growth
-1.2%
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
42%
Female Share
85%
Average age
36

Summary

Visual Merchandisers plan and install internal, window and fixed displays to show goods to their best advantage.

Also known as: Window Dresser.

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Visual Merchandiser. Although some workers have a certificate III or IV in visual merchandising or sales and marketing.

Tasks

  • determining goods for display in accordance with prospective seasonal and promotional events

  • developing overall promotional and display plans for approval

  • preparing sketches and models showing layout, colour and other features for approval

  • obtaining props and other accessories, and building displays

  • setting up fabricated displays in store windows and other areas

  • organising the setting out of goods to be shown as part of permanent displays

  • arranging ticketing and signage

  • arranging lighting to highlight fixtures, displays and goods

Characteristics

Job Type
Sales Workers
Skill Level
Lower skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Above average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Creative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • 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 in this occupation is likely to remain stable.

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
-1.2%
(or -100 jobs)
From
7,600
in 2021
To
7,500
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 5,000
2012 6,500
2013 6,100
2014 12,700
2015 7,300
2016 8,500
2017 9,300
2018 4,500
2019 8,500
2020 6,000
2021 7,600
2026 7,500

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 50% of people employed as Visual Merchandisers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 16 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).

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

    Median hourly earnings are $33, 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.


Industries

Main industries

1
Retail Trade
51.6%
2
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
23.4%
3
Manufacturing
10.9%
4
Information Media and Telecommunications
4.7%
5
Other industries
7.8%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

33.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

32.2% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

17.4% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.7% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

8.3% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

0.8% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.2% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.1% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Visual Merchandisers All Jobs Average
NSW 33.1 31.6
VIC 32.2 25.6
QLD 17.4 20.0
SA 6.7 7.0
WA 8.3 10.8
TAS 0.8 2.0
NT 0.2 1.0
ACT 1.1 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
36
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
85%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Visual Merchandisers is 36 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

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

    Females make up 85% of the workforce. This is 37 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 Visual Merchandisers All Jobs Average
15-19 2.2 5.0
20-24 12.1 9.3
25-34 33.1 22.9
35-44 22.1 22.0
45-54 19.4 21.6
55-59 5.7 9.0
60-64 3.4 6.0
65 and Over 2.0 4.2
Median Age 36 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 Visual Merchandiser. Although some workers have a certificate III or IV in visual merchandising or sales and marketing.

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 Visual Merchandisers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 2.0 10.1
Bachelor degree 17.9 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 23.0 11.6
Certificate III/IV 13.1 21.1
Year 12 25.7 18.1
Year 11 5.5 4.8
Year 10 and below 12.9 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 Visual Merchandisers who interact well with others, provide good customer service and who are reliable.

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.

  • 46%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 45%

    Active listening

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

  • 45%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 45%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 43%

    Active learning

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

  • 43%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 43%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 41%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 41%

    Monitoring

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

  • 41%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 41%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 41%

    Time management

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

  • 41%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 34%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 34%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 34%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 32%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 29%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 29%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 60%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 57%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 46%

    Administration and management

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

  • 45%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 42%

    English language

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

  • 41%

    Technical design

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

  • 36%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 34%

    Communications and media

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

  • 32%

    Education and training

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

  • 30%

    Clerical

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

  • 26%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 25%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 24%

    Psychology

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

  • 24%

    Mechanical

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

  • 23%

    Fine arts

    Compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • 22%

    Production and processing

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

  • 22%

    Building and construction

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

  • 18%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 14%

    Engineering and technology

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

  • 14%

    Economics and accounting

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 55%

    Visualization

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

  • 55%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 52%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 50%

    Extent flexibility

    Bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.

  • 48%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 48%

    Colour discrimination

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

  • 48%

    Near vision

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

  • 46%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 46%

    Originality

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

  • 46%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 46%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 46%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 46%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 45%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 45%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 45%

    Trunk strength

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

  • 43%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 43%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 41%

    Manual dexterity

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


Activities

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

  • 80%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 67%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 65%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 56%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 54%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 52%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 49%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 47%

    Working with the public

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

  • 45%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 45%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 45%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 43%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 42%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 42%

    Coordinating the work of a team

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

  • 40%

    Checking compliance with standards

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

  • 35%

    Leading and encouraging a team

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

  • 34%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 34%

    Working with computers

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

  • 30%

    Coming up with systems and processes

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

  • 28%

    Guiding and directing staff

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


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%

    Creative

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

  • 76%

    Enterprising

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

  • 71%

    Practical

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

  • 29%

    Administrative

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

  • 24%

    Analytical

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

  • 24%

    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%

    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.

  • 67%

    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.

  • 57%

    Achievement

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

  • 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.

  • 52%

    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.

  • 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:
  • 92%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 91%

    Contact with people

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

  • 91%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 90%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 84%

    Walking and running

    Spend time walking and running.

  • 83%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 82%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 82%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

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

  • 80%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 79%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 76%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 75%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 75%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 74%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 73%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 70%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 65%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 65%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 64%

    Bending or twisting your body

    Spend time bending or twisting your body.

  • 64%

    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, 27-1026.00 - Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers.


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