Australia’s geospatial professionals are being reminded to make sure their job is counted properly on Census night.
With the national Census coming up on the night of 11 August, Australia’s geospatial professionals are being urged to fill in the form correctly so that an accurate count can be made of who works in the sector and in which roles.
With previous censuses, it was difficult for practitioners to adequately describe their precise job title and the kind of work they do.
But after a lot of advocacy from organisations such as Surveyors Australia, a new suite of occupation codes has been devised that will make it easier for the Australian Bureau of Statistics to accurately gauge the number of professionals who work in different segments of the sector.
The new occupation classifications recognise distinct jobs, such as geospatial specialists, surveyor’s assistants, surveying technicians, engineering surveyors, land surveyors, mine surveyors, hydrographers and surveying managers, as per the graphic below.
Finding the right words
According to Surveyors Australia’s CEO, Michelle Blicavs, the value of the extended classifications depends on professionals correctly categorising themselves on the Census form.
“In the 2021 Census, nearly half of our workforce disappeared into a generic statistical category because of answers like surveyor, manager or director,” said Blicavs.
“Now it comes down to two boxes on a household form: a specific occupation title, and two or three real tasks.”
In a nutshell, the advice comes down to three things:
- Be specific with your job title: Write land surveyor, engineering surveyor, mine surveyor, geospatial specialist, hydrographer, surveying technician, or surveyor’s assistant. If you lead a team or a practice, write surveying manager or principal surveyor.
- Describe real tasks: Write two or three of your actual duties (e.g. ‘Certify cadastral surveys and prepare plans for lodgement’ or ‘Set out infrastructure and manage survey control networks’). The word ‘surveying’ on its own tells the ABS nothing.
- Specify your employer’s industry sector: When asked about your employer’s business, writing ‘surveying services’ helps the ABS code it accurately.
Surveyors Australia has published a free guide that shows the recommended wording for every role in the profession.
“This data underpins everything: university places, skilled migration, workforce investment,” said Blicavs.
“With the profession facing a forecast shortfall of more than 2,000 professionals by 2029 against a $242 billion infrastructure pipeline, we cannot afford to be undercounted again.”
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