Occupation and Duties

(Q42 in the Census Household Form)

Occupation data is essential for labour market analysis and policy formation. Changes in the occupational composition of the labour force are important for planning at the industry and geographic area levels. The data is used in analyses of education and training needs, and as indicators for industry assistance programs. 

This question is only asked of people aged 15 years and over. 

• Only answer for the person’s main job (the job where they work the most hours) that they had the week before completing the Census Test.
• Report the job title as specifically as possible. For example, if the person is a nurse, include the field they work in, such as an emergency room nurse.
• Other examples of specific job titles include:
  • Registered aged care nurse
  • House cleaner
  • Retail sales assistant
  • Ore crushing machine operator.
• For public servants, provide occupation title and level. For example, Customer service officer APS 5.
• For armed services personnel, provide rank and occupation.
• Online form only: Further questions may be asked to clarify the specific occupation.

(Q43 in the Census Household Form)

This information is used together with the following questions:

• occupation
• business name
• industry or business of the employer
• goods or services produced.

This question is only asked of people aged 15 years and over. 

Sometimes, the answer to this question will be very similar to a person’s job title (for example, a teacher will say they teach students). It will be different for other people. For example, a person might say they are a shop assistant and their usual tasks are packing shelves and serving customers. Report the main tasks the person usually does each day. For example, shop owners may not sell goods themselves but manage their business and supervise staff.

Other examples include:

• nursing the elderly
• cleaning houses
• preparing accounts, payroll, bookkeeping
• selling clothes in a department store
• operating an ore crusher in a processing facility
• delivering fast food
• installing hot water systems
• coordinating fashion marketing campaigns.

For managers, explain what they manage. For example:

• managing construction projects
• managing a hotel
• managing human resources.

Explain the person's main tasks as fully as possible.

(Q44 in the Census Household Form)

This information is used together with the following questions:

• occupation
• tasks or duties performed
• industry or business of the employer
• goods or services produced.

This question is only asked of people aged 15 years and over. 

• For people operating their own business (for example, self-employed), provide the name of their business.
• For teachers, provide the name of their school.

(Q45 in the Census Household Form)

This information is used together with the following questions:

• occupation
• tasks or duties performed
• business name
• goods or services produced.

This question is only asked of people aged 15 years and over. 

We ask this question to find out about the industry, business or service the person's employer provides where they work. What the employer does may be different from the tasks the person does in their job. For example, a person might be an accountant for a motor vehicle manufacturer, making the industry ‘motor vehicle manufacturing’.

• Other examples include:
  • Secondary school education
  • Gold mining
  • IT consulting service
  • Domestic cleaning service
  • Apartment construction.
• Please provide as much information as possible. For example, the employer ‘provides primary school education’ instead of ‘school’.
• For people operating their own business (for example, self-employed), please describe the industry of their own business.
• For public servants, enter the level of government and the field of work they are mainly in. For example, state government administration and federal government policy formulation.
• Online form only: Further questions may be asked to clarify the specific industry or business.

(Q46 in the Census Household Form)

This information is used together with the following questions:

• occupation
• tasks or duties performed
• business name
• industry or business of employer.

This question is only asked of people aged 15 years and over. 

We ask this question to find out about the goods produced or services provided by the person's employer. For example, if the person works as a domestic house cleaner, then the organisation they work for ‘Provides house cleaning’.

• Describe as fully as possible, using two words or more.
• Other examples include:
  • Providing education to secondary school students
  • Mining gold ore
  • Providing information technology advice
  • Construction of residential buildings.
• For people operating their own business (for example, self-employed), please describe the main goods and services provided by their business.
• Please provide as much information as possible. For example, ‘Providing education to secondary school students’ instead of ‘education’.