ANZSCO 5212

Secretaries

Overview

EMPLOYED

29,100

PART-TIME SHARE

44%

FEMALE SHARE

92%

MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS

$1,394

MEDIAN AGE

51

ANNUAL EMPLOYMENT GROWTH

-3,100

About this data

Summary

Secretaries perform secretarial, clerical and other administrative tasks in support of Managers, Legal Professionals and other professionals.

Tasks

  • Liaising with other staff to arrange meetings, and to gain and provide information
  • Preparing reports, briefing notes and correspondence, and proofreading work for typographical and grammatical errors
  • Maintaining appointment diaries and making travel arrangements
  • Processing incoming and outgoing mail, filing correspondence and maintaining records
  • Answering telephone calls, responding to inquiries and redirecting callers
  • Taking and transcribing dictation of letters and other documents
  • Greeting visitors, ascertaining nature of business and directing visitors to appropriate persons
  • May implement management decisions and maintain records of meetings
  • May handle bookkeeping and petty cash functions

ANZSCO Classification

Details

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    Earnings and Hours

    Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)
    Source: Share of workers who work full-time hours: ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average, customised report.
    Average full-time hours worked per week: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Median full-time earnings per week and Median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2023, customised report.
    Note: median earnings data have not been produced for some occupations where there is a high standard error, and are published with "N/A" values.
    Earnings and Hours Secretaries All Occupations
    Share of workers who work full-time hours 56% 70%
    Average full-time hours worked per week 40 hours 44 hours
    Median full-time earnings per week $1,394 $1,697
    Median hourly earnings $37 $43

    Industries

    Secretaries work in industries like:

    Source: Ranked using ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average data, custom report.
    Note: industries that comprise less than 5% of an occupation have been suppressed.

    States and territories

    New South Wales

    38.6%

    Victoria

    13.8%

    Queensland

    21.1%

    South Australia

    8.7%

    Tasmania

    2.6%

    Northern Territory

    1.0%

    Australian Capital Territory

    2.7%

    Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, Detailed, August 2024, Jobs and Skills Australia trend data.

    Age and gender

    Age and Gender Profile
    Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average, customised report.
    Age and Gender Secretaries All Occupations
    Median age 51 years 39 years
    Female share of employment 92% 48%
    Source: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Age Profile (% Share) All Occupations Secretaries
    15–19 5.2 1.2
    20–24 9.1 5.3
    25–34 22.7 11.7
    35–44 22.3 15.3
    45–54 20.4 22.9
    55–59 8.8 13.5
    60–64 6.5 12.8
    65 and Over 4.9 17.3

    Education

    Visit

    • Your Career to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
    Source: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Highest Level of Educational Attainment (% Share) All Occupations Secretaries
    Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 12.2 5.0
    Bachelor degree 23.2 12.4
    Advanced Diploma/Diploma 11.1 13.9
    Certificate III/IV 19.5 12.9
    Year 12 15.9 21.5
    Year 11 4.0 6.3
    Year 10 and below 9.7 18.1
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      Occupation profiles data

      This file contains data displayed on the Occupation Profile pages.

      Use of data in this file must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      Occupation profiles data - November 2024.xlsx

      occupation_profiles_data_-_november_2024.xlsx946664

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      Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations

      Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) is the skill-based classification system used to categorise occupations in the Australian and New Zealand labour markets. ANZSCO provides a basis for the standardised collection, analysis and dissemination of occupation data. Visit the ABS website to learn how ANZSCO works. Jobs and Skills Australia displays data for occupations that are defined by ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.3.