Overview
All Printers
-
$1,132 Weekly Pay
-
Decline Future Growth
-
9,700 workers Employment Size
-
Medium skill Skill level rating
-
87% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
41 hours Average full-time
-
46 years Average age
-
13% female Gender Share
Printers set up and operate letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, newspaper, instant, digital and offset printing presses.
You can work as a Printer without formal qualifications if you are able to demonstrate your technical competency to employers. However, a certificate III in print manufacturing, printing or printing and graphic art is usually required. These courses are often completed as part of an apprenticeship.
Tasks
- setting, adjusting and monitoring substrate-feed mechanisms, delivery mechanisms, inking systems and other printing machine functions
- mixing ink and solvents to standard, and regulating paper and ink supply during print runs
- monitoring, evaluating and determining press operations manually and by computer to check print quality standards against proofs and detect malfunctions
- producing a variety of printed products using relief, lithographic, flexographic and gravure printing presses, and in-line finishing systems
- preparing plates, blankets and impression cylinders on small offset lithographic printing presses
- loading paper into feeding mechanisms
- monitoring machine operations and quality of printing
- undertaking maintenance, adjustment, repair and cleaning of machines
- producing and managing digital print images, and transferring and outputting images
- may set up and operate paper and bookbinding guillotines
Prospects
There were 9,700 Printers in 2020. The number of workers:
- fell over the past 5 years
- is expected to fall over the next five years
- is likely to reach 8,700 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 small occupation.
- Location: Many Printers work in Victoria.
- Industries: Most work in Manufacturing; Information Media and Telecommunications; and Wholesale Trade.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,132 per week (below the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Most work full-time (87%, much higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 41 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 46 years (compared to the average of 40 years). Many workers are 45 years or older (53%).
- Gender: 13% 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 can work as a Printer without formal qualifications if you are able to demonstrate your technical competency to employers. However, a certificate III in print manufacturing, printing or printing and graphic art is usually required. These courses are often completed as part of an apprenticeship.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Printing & Graphic Arts VET training pathways.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Printers who are hardworking, reliable and work well in a team.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Mechanical
Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Technical design
Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Engineering and technology
Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Physics
The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Building and construction
Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
-
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.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Operation and control
Controlling equipment or systems.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Quality control analysis
Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Equipment maintenance
Maintaining equipment and deciding what maintenance will be needed in the future.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Troubleshooting
Figuring out why a machine or system went wrong and working out what to do about it.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Repairing
Fixing machines or systems.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Equipment selection
Deciding on the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Control precision
Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
-
Visualization
Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
-
Colour discrimination
Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Controlling equipment or machines
Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).
-
Working with mechanical equipment
Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
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.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Estimating amounts, costs and resources
Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers 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.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Thinking creatively
Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Making sense of information and ideas
Looking at, working with, and understanding data or 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, 51-5112.00 - Printing Press Operators.
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.
-
Exposure to contaminants
Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Loud or uncomfortable sounds
Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.
-
Pace of work set by equipment
Pace of work depends on the speed of equipment or machinery.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
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.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Dangerous equipment
Work near dangerous equipment like saws, machinery with open moving parts, or moving traffic.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Dangerous conditions
Work near dangers like high voltage electricity, flammable material, explosives or chemicals.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Repeating same tasks
Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
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.

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, 51-5112.00 - Printing Press Operators.
All Printers
-
$1,132 Weekly Pay
-
Decline Future Growth
-
9,700 workers Employment Size
-
Medium skill Skill level rating
-
87% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
41 hours Average full-time
-
46 years Average age
-
13% female Gender Share
Printers set up and operate letterpress, lithographic, flexographic, gravure, newspaper, instant, digital and offset printing presses.
You can work as a Printer without formal qualifications if you are able to demonstrate your technical competency to employers. However, a certificate III in print manufacturing, printing or printing and graphic art is usually required. These courses are often completed as part of an apprenticeship.
Tasks
- setting, adjusting and monitoring substrate-feed mechanisms, delivery mechanisms, inking systems and other printing machine functions
- mixing ink and solvents to standard, and regulating paper and ink supply during print runs
- monitoring, evaluating and determining press operations manually and by computer to check print quality standards against proofs and detect malfunctions
- producing a variety of printed products using relief, lithographic, flexographic and gravure printing presses, and in-line finishing systems
- preparing plates, blankets and impression cylinders on small offset lithographic printing presses
- loading paper into feeding mechanisms
- monitoring machine operations and quality of printing
- undertaking maintenance, adjustment, repair and cleaning of machines
- producing and managing digital print images, and transferring and outputting images
- may set up and operate paper and bookbinding guillotines
There were 9,700 Printers in 2020. The number of workers:
- fell over the past 5 years
- is expected to fall over the next five years
- is likely to reach 8,700 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 small occupation.
- Location: Many Printers work in Victoria.
- Industries: Most work in Manufacturing; Information Media and Telecommunications; and Wholesale Trade.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,132 per week (below the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Most work full-time (87%, much higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 41 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 46 years (compared to the average of 40 years). Many workers are 45 years or older (53%).
- Gender: 13% 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 can work as a Printer without formal qualifications if you are able to demonstrate your technical competency to employers. However, a certificate III in print manufacturing, printing or printing and graphic art is usually required. These courses are often completed as part of an apprenticeship.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Printing & Graphic Arts VET training pathways.
Employers look for Printers who are hardworking, reliable and work well in a team.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Mechanical
Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Technical design
Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Engineering and technology
Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Physics
The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Building and construction
Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
-
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.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Operation and control
Controlling equipment or systems.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Quality control analysis
Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Equipment maintenance
Maintaining equipment and deciding what maintenance will be needed in the future.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Troubleshooting
Figuring out why a machine or system went wrong and working out what to do about it.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Repairing
Fixing machines or systems.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Equipment selection
Deciding on the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Control precision
Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
-
Visualization
Imagine how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
-
Colour discrimination
Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Controlling equipment or machines
Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).
-
Working with mechanical equipment
Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
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.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Estimating amounts, costs and resources
Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers 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.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Thinking creatively
Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Making sense of information and ideas
Looking at, working with, and understanding data or 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, 51-5112.00 - Printing Press Operators.
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.
-
Exposure to contaminants
Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Loud or uncomfortable sounds
Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.
-
Pace of work set by equipment
Pace of work depends on the speed of equipment or machinery.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
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.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Dangerous equipment
Work near dangerous equipment like saws, machinery with open moving parts, or moving traffic.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
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Dangerous conditions
Work near dangers like high voltage electricity, flammable material, explosives or chemicals.
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Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
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Repeating same tasks
Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
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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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Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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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.
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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.
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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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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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Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
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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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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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Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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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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Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

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, 51-5112.00 - Printing Press Operators.