Personal and Other Services
Age by Industry
Age by Occupation
Age by Education
Age by Working Arrangements
Age by Industry Trends
Age by Industry
The average age (mean) of the Personal and Other Services industry is 38.6 years. The chart below displays the age distribution of workers in Personal and Other Services. The largest proportion of workers are in the 30 to 34 year age group (14.1 per cent), followed 35 to 39 years (13.3 per cent).
AGE BY INDUSTRY
Personal and Other Services
Age grouping
ABS (2001) Labour Force Australia
Projections of the age profile of the Personal and Other Services industry against the age profile of the population in ten years time, shows that there could be some variation between these two profiles. Between 20 and 55 years, the population trends mirror each other, yet the Personal and Other Services have noticeably higher percentages. There is some deviation however demonstrating a higher proportional concentration at the youngest and oldest age ranges.
Personal and Other Services
Workforce Population Age Profile Year 2004
Age by Occupation
The oldest employees within Personal and Other Services are Managers and Administrators, aged 43.6 years on average and Professionals (43 years). The youngest group is Trade persons and Related Workers, 35.7 years.
AGE BY OCCUPATION
Personal and Other Services
Occupation
ABS (2001) Labour Force Australia
Age by Education
Many factors have led to the increased need for lifelong learning and development. The changing business environment, technological advancements and innovation; the shift from labour intensive to knowledge intensive work; and changing working arrangements are just a few. The level and currency of post-secondary qualifications held by workers within Personal and Other Services will therefore demonstrate the ability of the industry to sustain its productivity into the future. Forty-four per cent of all workers in Personal and Other Services have not post-secondary education. Close to 48 per cent of older workers (45 years and over) have no qualifications, compared to 43 per cent of younger workers.
The majority of the workers, who do hold a post-secondary qualification, have a certificate level qualification (28.5 per cent). Workers aged 45 and over have a higher percentage of people with graduate (2 per cent) and postgraduate (2.2 per cent) level qualifications, when compared to young people (0.9 per cent and 1.5 per cent correspondently). Sixty-three per cent of workers aged 45 years and over who have a post-secondary qualifications, obtained them before 1980. For workers aged less than 45 years, 31 per cent had completed their qualification prior to 1990.
| Highest Qualification | 15 to 44yrs | 45yrs and over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate Degree Level | 0.9% | 2.0% | 1.3% |
| Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate Level | 1.5% | 2.2% | 1.7% |
| Bachelor Degree Level | 9.9% | 7.3% | 9.0% |
| Advanced Diploma and Diploma Level | 10.4% | 8.0% | 9.6% |
| Certificate Level | 29.6% | 26.3% | 28.5% |
| No Post-secondary Education | 42.7% | 47.7% | 44.4% |
| Other | 5.2% | 6.4% | 5.6% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Year completed qualification | 15 to 44yrs | 45yrs and over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1971 | 34.4% | 10.6% | |
| 1971-1980 | 8.5% | 28.8% | 14.8% |
| 1981-1985 | 8.5% | 7.7% | 8.3% |
| 1986-1990 | 14.1% | 7.3% | 12.0% |
| 1991-1995 | 24.6% | 8.1% | 19.6% |
| 1996-1997 | 11.6% | 3.1% | 9.0% |
| 1998-1999 | 15.6% | 5.4% | 12.5% |
| 2000-2001 | 17.0% | 5.0% | 13.3% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Age by Working Arrangements
The working arrangements of employees within Personal and Other Services are highly variable, with only one in five workers employed on a standard 40 hour week basis. A large proportion of workers in this industry are employed for less than 40 hours a week (49 per cent). Younger people are more strongly represented in this group, with 51 per cent of working less than 40 hours a week compared to 45 per cent of older workers.
| Hours worked | 15 to 44yrs | 45yrs and over | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-15 hours | 13.5% | 12.7% | 13.3% |
| 16-24 hours | 9.4% | 8.9% | 9.2% |
| 25-34 hours | 8.7% | 8.6% | 8.7% |
| 35-39 hours | 19.3% | 14.4% | 17.7% |
| 40 hours | 20.8% | 20.9% | 20.9% |
| 41-48 hours | 13.6% | 14.2% | 13.8% |
| 49 or more hours | 14.6% | 20.1% | 16.4% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
Age by Industry Trends
The Personal and Other Services industry is largely characterised by small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The workers in the industry are required to be flexible and multi-skilled to manage the demands of a small business environment. Older workers can thrive in this flexible workplace environment, yet ongoing skill development, skill diversification, job design and occupational health and safety issues need to be managed. The cost burden on small business to deal with these factors however can be significant and strategies to support them should be investigated. Skill shortages have been identified in a number of key sectors. Personal Services Mature Age Apprenticeships could provide a good opportunity to skill and up-skill older workers for the industry, yet wage structures may need to be reviewed.
A changing population structure, market trends, working arrangements and household structures have also lead to an expansion of demand for personal and other services. Increasing numbers of dual-income households have created a demand for the outsourcing of many traditional domestic chores. Changing and growing hours of work has also created a need for additional household and personal services. As the population continues to age, demand for a variety of personal services will grow. At present, spending on personal services increases with age and peaks between 45 and 54 years. The average weekly expenditure of this group is $18.36, compared with the average of $13.73.
Source:
ABS (1999) Household Expenditure Survey, ABS Cat. No. 6530.0
Wholesale Retail and Personal Services (2003) National Industry VET Plan 2003 – 2006
A Plan by the National WRAPS ITAB to Profile - Industry and Identify Skill Development Needs
