Overview
All Psychologists and Psychotherapists
-
$1,857 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
Organisational Psychologists
-
450 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
65% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
45 hours Average full-time
-
41 years Average age
-
70% female Gender Share
Organisational Psychologists apply psychological principles and techniques to study occupational behaviour, working conditions and organisational structure, and solve problems of work performance and organisational design.
You need a specialised postgraduate degree in psychology and a period of supervised practice to work as an Organisational Psychologist.
Tasks
- Develops interview techniques, psychological tests and other aids in workplace selection, placement, appraisal and promotion.
- Conducts surveys and research studies on job design, work groups, morale, motivation, supervision and management.
- Performs job analyses and establishes job requirements by observing and interviewing employees and managers.
Prospects
The number of Organisational Psychologists fell over 5 years:
from 620 in 2011 to 450 in 2016.
Caution: These estimates do not take account of the impact of COVID-19. They may not reflect the current jobs market and should be used and interpreted with caution.
- Size: This is a very small occupation.
- Location: Organisational Psychologists work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in Health Care and Social Assistance; Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; and Public Administration and Safety.
- Full-time: Many work full-time (65%, similar to the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 45 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 41 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 70% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
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.
Pathways
You need a specialised postgraduate degree in psychology and a period of supervised practice to work as an Organisational Psychologist.
Registration with the Psychology Board of Australia is required.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Psychologists who are caring, compassionate, empathetic and work well in a team.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Philosophy and theology
Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
-
Geography
Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Engineering and technology
Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Systems analysis
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
-
Systems evaluation
Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
-
Operations analysis
Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Mathematics
Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.
-
Working with numbers
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Visualization
Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Giving expert advice
Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Making sense of information and ideas
Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
-
Communicating with the public
Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Thinking creatively
Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Coaching and developing others
Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
-
Influencing people
Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.
-
Coming up with systems and processes
Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

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, 19-3032.00 - Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
Work Environment
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.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Electronic mail
Use electronic mail.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Spend time sitting
Spend time sitting at work.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Letters and memos
Write letters and memos.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Competition
Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.
-
Conflict situations
Deal with conflict or disagreements.
-
Consequence of error
Work where mistakes have serious consequences.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

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, 19-3032.00 - Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
All Psychologists and Psychotherapists
-
$1,857 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
Organisational Psychologists
-
450 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
65% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
45 hours Average full-time
-
41 years Average age
-
70% female Gender Share
Organisational Psychologists apply psychological principles and techniques to study occupational behaviour, working conditions and organisational structure, and solve problems of work performance and organisational design.
You need a specialised postgraduate degree in psychology and a period of supervised practice to work as an Organisational Psychologist.
Tasks
- Develops interview techniques, psychological tests and other aids in workplace selection, placement, appraisal and promotion.
- Conducts surveys and research studies on job design, work groups, morale, motivation, supervision and management.
- Performs job analyses and establishes job requirements by observing and interviewing employees and managers.
The number of Organisational Psychologists fell over 5 years:
from 620 in 2011 to 450 in 2016.
Caution: These estimates do not take account of the impact of COVID-19. They may not reflect the current jobs market and should be used and interpreted with caution.
- Size: This is a very small occupation.
- Location: Organisational Psychologists work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in Health Care and Social Assistance; Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; and Public Administration and Safety.
- Full-time: Many work full-time (65%, similar to the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 45 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 41 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 70% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
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.
You need a specialised postgraduate degree in psychology and a period of supervised practice to work as an Organisational Psychologist.
Registration with the Psychology Board of Australia is required.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
- ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
Employers look for Psychologists who are caring, compassionate, empathetic and work well in a team.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Philosophy and theology
Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
-
Geography
Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Engineering and technology
Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Systems analysis
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
-
Systems evaluation
Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Science
Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
-
Operations analysis
Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Mathematics
Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.
-
Working with numbers
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Visualization
Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Giving expert advice
Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Making sense of information and ideas
Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
-
Communicating with the public
Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Thinking creatively
Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Coaching and developing others
Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
-
Influencing people
Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.
-
Coming up with systems and processes
Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

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, 19-3032.00 - Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.
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.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Electronic mail
Use electronic mail.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Spend time sitting
Spend time sitting at work.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Letters and memos
Write letters and memos.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Competition
Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.
-
Conflict situations
Deal with conflict or disagreements.
-
Consequence of error
Work where mistakes have serious consequences.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

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, 19-3032.00 - Industrial-Organizational Psychologists.