Overview
All Train and Tram Drivers
-
$2,304 Weekly Pay
-
Moderate Future Growth
-
13,300 workers Employment Size
-
Lower skill Skill level rating
-
93% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
45 hours Average full-time
-
49 years Average age
-
9% female Gender Share
Train and Tram Drivers drive trains and trams to transport passengers and freight on rail networks.
You usually need a certificate IV in rail or train driving to work as a Train or Tram Driver.
Tasks
- stopping at stations and set locations to pick up and set down passengers and freight
- opening and closing doors before and after passengers board or alight
- observing signals, track conditions, nearby traffic and prescribed speeds to ensure safety
- monitoring indicator gauges, changing controls and power supply poles and reporting operating irregularities
- checking time and adherence to timetables
- may advise passengers on destinations
Prospects
There were 13,300 Train and Tram Drivers in 2020. The number of workers:
- fell over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow over the next five years
- is likely to reach 14,200 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: Many Train and Tram Drivers work in Queensland.
- Industries: Most work in Transport, Postal and Warehousing; Mining; and Manufacturing.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $2,304 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 (93%, much higher than 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 49 years (compared to the average of 40 years). Many workers are 45 years or older (63%).
- Gender: 9% 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 certificate IV in rail or train driving to work as a Train or Tram Driver.
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 Transport and Logistics Training Package VET training pathways.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Train and Tram Drivers who can interact with customers, provide good customer service and are well presented.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
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.
-
Mechanical
Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Geography
Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Engineering and technology
Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
-
Physics
The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Operation and control
Controlling equipment or systems.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
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.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
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.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Quality control analysis
Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
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.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Reaction time
Quickly move your hand, finger, or foot when a sound, light, picture or something else appears.
-
Control precision
Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
-
Response orientation
Quickly choose the right movement of the hand, foot, or other body part when there are two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures).
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Auditory attention
Pay attention to a certain sound when there are other distracting sounds.
-
Multilimb coordination
Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Rate control
Change when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
-
Depth perception
Decide which thing is closer or further away from you, or decide how far away it is.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Hearing sensitivity
Tell the difference between sounds.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Controlling equipment or machines
Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).
-
Driving vehicles or equipment
Running, manoeuvring, navigating, or driving things like forklifts, vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
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.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Estimating amounts, costs and resources
Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

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, 53-4011.00 - Locomotive Engineers.
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.
-
Loud or uncomfortable sounds
Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
In an enclosed vehicle or equipment
Work in a closed vehicle (e.g., car).
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
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.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Very hot or cold temperatures
Work in very hot or cold temperatures.
-
Outdoors, exposed to weather
Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Spend time sitting
Spend time sitting at work.
-
Exposure to contaminants
Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Consequence of error
Work where mistakes have serious consequences.
-
Dangerous equipment
Work near dangerous equipment like saws, machinery with open moving parts, or moving traffic.
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
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.
-
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.
-
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.

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, 53-4011.00 - Locomotive Engineers.
All Train and Tram Drivers
-
$2,304 Weekly Pay
-
Moderate Future Growth
-
13,300 workers Employment Size
-
Lower skill Skill level rating
-
93% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
45 hours Average full-time
-
49 years Average age
-
9% female Gender Share
Train and Tram Drivers drive trains and trams to transport passengers and freight on rail networks.
You usually need a certificate IV in rail or train driving to work as a Train or Tram Driver.
Tasks
- stopping at stations and set locations to pick up and set down passengers and freight
- opening and closing doors before and after passengers board or alight
- observing signals, track conditions, nearby traffic and prescribed speeds to ensure safety
- monitoring indicator gauges, changing controls and power supply poles and reporting operating irregularities
- checking time and adherence to timetables
- may advise passengers on destinations
There were 13,300 Train and Tram Drivers in 2020. The number of workers:
- fell over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow over the next five years
- is likely to reach 14,200 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: Many Train and Tram Drivers work in Queensland.
- Industries: Most work in Transport, Postal and Warehousing; Mining; and Manufacturing.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $2,304 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 (93%, much higher than 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 49 years (compared to the average of 40 years). Many workers are 45 years or older (63%).
- Gender: 9% 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 certificate IV in rail or train driving to work as a Train or Tram Driver.
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 Transport and Logistics Training Package VET training pathways.
Employers look for Train and Tram Drivers who can interact with customers, provide good customer service and are well presented.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
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.
-
Mechanical
Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Geography
Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Engineering and technology
Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
-
Physics
The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Operation and control
Controlling equipment or systems.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
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.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
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.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Quality control analysis
Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
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.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Reaction time
Quickly move your hand, finger, or foot when a sound, light, picture or something else appears.
-
Control precision
Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
-
Response orientation
Quickly choose the right movement of the hand, foot, or other body part when there are two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures).
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Auditory attention
Pay attention to a certain sound when there are other distracting sounds.
-
Multilimb coordination
Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Rate control
Change when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
-
Depth perception
Decide which thing is closer or further away from you, or decide how far away it is.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Hearing sensitivity
Tell the difference between sounds.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Controlling equipment or machines
Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).
-
Driving vehicles or equipment
Running, manoeuvring, navigating, or driving things like forklifts, vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
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.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Estimating amounts, costs and resources
Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

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, 53-4011.00 - Locomotive Engineers.
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.
-
Loud or uncomfortable sounds
Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
In an enclosed vehicle or equipment
Work in a closed vehicle (e.g., car).
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
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.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Very hot or cold temperatures
Work in very hot or cold temperatures.
-
Outdoors, exposed to weather
Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Spend time sitting
Spend time sitting at work.
-
Exposure to contaminants
Be exposed to pollutants, gases, dust or odours.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Consequence of error
Work where mistakes have serious consequences.
-
Dangerous equipment
Work near dangerous equipment like saws, machinery with open moving parts, or moving traffic.
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.
-
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.
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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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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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Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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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Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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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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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.

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, 53-4011.00 - Locomotive Engineers.