Overview
All Policy and Planning Managers
-
$2,338 Weekly Pay
-
Moderate Future Growth
-
23,300 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
86% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
44 hours Average full-time
-
44 years Average age
-
56% female Gender Share
Policy and Planning Managers plan, organise, direct, control and coordinate policy advice and strategic planning within organisations.
Also known as: Public Policy Manager.
Specialisations: Corporate Planning Manager, Strategic Planning Manager.
You usually need a bachelor degree in local government or another related field and relevant experience to work as a Policy and Planning Manager.
Tasks
- developing, implementing and monitoring strategic plans, programs, policies, processes, systems and procedures to achieve goals, objectives and work standards
- developing, implementing, administering and participating in policy research and analysis
- coordinating the implementation of policies and practices
- establishing activity measures and measurements of accountability
- overseeing and participating in the development of policy documents and reports
- consulting with and providing expert advice to government officials and board members on policy, program and legislative issues
- representing the organisation in negotiations, and at conventions, seminars, public hearings and forums convened to discuss policy issues
Prospects
There were 23,300 Policy and Planning Managers in 2020. The number of workers:
- grew very strongly over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow over the next five years
- is likely to reach 24,400 by 2025.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025. 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 Snapshot
- Size: This is a medium sized occupation.
- Location: Policy and Planning Managers work in many parts of Australia. The Australian Capital Territory has a large share of workers.
- Industries: Most work in Public Administration and Safety; Financial and Insurance Services; and Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $2,338 per week (higher than the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Most work full-time (86%, much higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 44 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 44 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 56% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
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 usually need a bachelor degree in local government or another related field and relevant experience to work as a Policy and Planning Manager.
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.
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Public Sector and Business Services VET training pathways.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Policy and Planning Managers who have strong people skills and can communicate clearly.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
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.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Technical design
Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
-
Building and construction
Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Management of financial resources
Figuring out how money is needed to do something, and keeping track of the money that's being spent.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Systems analysis
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Systems evaluation
Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Management of material resources
Providing the right equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do work.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
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.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Working with numbers
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Mathematics
Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.
-
Visualization
Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Speed of recognition
Quickly make sense of and organize things you can see like letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Managing payments and orders
Monitoring and controlling resources and the spending of money.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Guiding and directing staff
Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.
-
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.
-
Coming up with systems and processes
Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Making sense of information and ideas
Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
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, 11-1011.00 - Chief Executives.
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.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
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.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Letters and memos
Write letters and memos.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Competition
Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Conflict situations
Deal with conflict or disagreements.
-
Spend time sitting
Spend time sitting at work.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
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, 11-1011.00 - Chief Executives.
All Policy and Planning Managers
-
$2,338 Weekly Pay
-
Moderate Future Growth
-
23,300 workers Employment Size
-
Very high skill Skill level rating
-
86% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
44 hours Average full-time
-
44 years Average age
-
56% female Gender Share
Policy and Planning Managers plan, organise, direct, control and coordinate policy advice and strategic planning within organisations.
Also known as: Public Policy Manager.
Specialisations: Corporate Planning Manager, Strategic Planning Manager.
You usually need a bachelor degree in local government or another related field and relevant experience to work as a Policy and Planning Manager.
Tasks
- developing, implementing and monitoring strategic plans, programs, policies, processes, systems and procedures to achieve goals, objectives and work standards
- developing, implementing, administering and participating in policy research and analysis
- coordinating the implementation of policies and practices
- establishing activity measures and measurements of accountability
- overseeing and participating in the development of policy documents and reports
- consulting with and providing expert advice to government officials and board members on policy, program and legislative issues
- representing the organisation in negotiations, and at conventions, seminars, public hearings and forums convened to discuss policy issues
There were 23,300 Policy and Planning Managers in 2020. The number of workers:
- grew very strongly over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow over the next five years
- is likely to reach 24,400 by 2025.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025. 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 Snapshot
- Size: This is a medium sized occupation.
- Location: Policy and Planning Managers work in many parts of Australia. The Australian Capital Territory has a large share of workers.
- Industries: Most work in Public Administration and Safety; Financial and Insurance Services; and Professional, Scientific and Technical Services.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $2,338 per week (higher than the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Most work full-time (86%, much higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 44 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 44 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 56% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
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 usually need a bachelor degree in local government or another related field and relevant experience to work as a Policy and Planning Manager.
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.
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Public Sector and Business Services VET training pathways.
Employers look for Policy and Planning Managers who have strong people skills and can communicate clearly.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
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.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Therapy and counselling
Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.
-
Technical design
Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
-
Building and construction
Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Management of financial resources
Figuring out how money is needed to do something, and keeping track of the money that's being spent.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Systems analysis
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Systems evaluation
Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Management of material resources
Providing the right equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do work.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
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.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Originality
Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Working with numbers
Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Mathematics
Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.
-
Visualization
Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Speed of recognition
Quickly make sense of and organize things you can see like letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Managing payments and orders
Monitoring and controlling resources and the spending of money.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Guiding and directing staff
Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.
-
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.
-
Coming up with systems and processes
Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Making sense of information and ideas
Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
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, 11-1011.00 - Chief Executives.
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.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
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.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Letters and memos
Write letters and memos.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Competition
Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Conflict situations
Deal with conflict or disagreements.
-
Spend time sitting
Spend time sitting at work.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
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Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
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Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
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Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
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Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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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, 11-1011.00 - Chief Executives.