Laboratory Operations

The Laboratory Operations sector plays a supporting part across a range of industries such as agriculture, food, biotechnology, educational support laboratories, health, environmental management, construction, manufacturing and mining. Employees work in non-professional technical and scientific occupations, testing, laboratory work and sampling. The work areas are highly regulated and play a critical role in the safety, quality and compliance of many industry sectors.

What does this industry cover?

Australian food, wine and other beverages are experiencing an increased demand for exports to Asian countries and are underpinned by laboratory testing to meet the nationally agreed Food Standards Code.

Research into medical products, particularly pharmaceutical and vaccines, and rapid advances in genetics has led to a strong growth in the health sector.

Waste management, especially waste disposal and the need for Australian businesses to meet emission targets has seen a growth for the laboratory operations sector.

Job hunting preparation

The top priority skills in Laboratory Operations industry are: Point of Care Testing (PoCT) skillset, skill requirements for surgical cut-up, and skill requirements in genetics and molecular testing diagnostics.

The top five occupations in demand are: Laboratory Technician, Laboratory Assistant, Scientist, Theatre Technician, and Phlebotomist.

The Certificate IV in Laboratory Techniques qualification has the most traineeship commencements and the NSW, Victorian and Western Australian governments are the largest employers.

Information for further research

Industry information is published by peak level associations, government and major employers.  Accessing industry association sites, including member lists, is a good way of building up an understanding of an industry.  Visiting employer websites and looking for careers or employment menus helps identify how employers recruit and the skills they are recruiting.

Employment and wage data for this industry

Apprenticeships Employment Size

This is a medium industry for Australian Apprenticeship commencements. In the year to September 2022, commencements were: 1244

Source: VOCSTATS, extracted on 11/4/2023. AATIS analysis.

Commencements Change

Commencements in the year to September 2022 in this industry have remained stable, compared with the previous year.

Source: VOCSTATS, extracted on 11/4/2023. AATIS analysis.

Apprentice Employment Outcomes

For Australian Apprentice graduates from this industry, employment outcomes are high.

Source: NCVER National Student Outcomes Survey, 2020, unpublished. AATIS analysis.

Industry Employment Size

This is a small sized industry compared with other Australian industries.

Source: National Skills Commission, 2022. AATIS analysis.

Industry Employment Change

In the next 5 years, change in employment in this industry is predicted to increase.

Source: National Skills Commission, 2022. AATIS analysis.

Industry Wage

The average wage of all employees in this industry is medium.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2022. AATIS analysis.

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