- Date:
- 19 Aug 2026
1 Industry snapshot
Administrative and support services skills and workforce snapshot
Workforce overview
Victoria’s twelfth largest employing industry:
- 113,000 people employed
- 3.0% of the Victorian workforce.
Top employing jobs in the industry:
- Commercial cleaners
- Domestic cleaners.
Workforce profile
- Highly diverse and inclusive workforce with an even sex distribution
- Building, cleaning, pest control and other support services is the highest employing industry sub-sector
- Higher proportion of the workforce is culturally diverse
- 31 per cent hold VET qualifications, and an equal share hold higher‑education qualifications.
Projections
Victoria’s eleventh highest growing industry:
- 8,600 new workers expected by 2028
- The majority of new workers expected to enter this industry will be employed in cleaning and gardening service occupations.
Top growing jobs in the industry are:
- Commercial cleaners, +2,900 new workers by 2028
- Domestic cleaners, +2,100 new workers by 2028.
Regional outlook
Regions expecting the highest share of new workers:
- Melbourne: Inner metropolitan Melbourne and Western metropolitan Melbourne:
- Regional: Barwon.
Skills demand
Educational attainment varies across the industry’s top employing occupations:
- Retention rates amongst the industry’s top growing occupations lag behind those of other industries
Most in-demand industry specific skills:
- Regulation and legal compliance
- Office and productivity equipment and technology.
Skills supply
Popular vocational education and training courses:
- Certificate III in Landscape Construction
- Certificate II in Horticulture.
Popular university study areas:
- Business management
- Management and commerce.
2 Introduction
About the administrative and support services industry
About these reports
These reports provide a point in time, data-driven overview of the workforce and skills for each industry.
The report does not provide a complete view of workforce dynamics within the industry. Its purpose is to support ongoing efforts to address workforce and skilling demands and to identify opportunities within the administrative and support services industry.
Report coverage
This report focuses on the administrative and support services industry and the occupations relevant to the industry, categorised using the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) classification of industries (ANZSIC) and occupations (ANZSCO).
Coverage in this report is limited to employment in the industry and sectors as defined by the ABS, noting some occupations are almost exclusively associated with an industry, such as surgeons in the health services sector, while others, such as accountants, are associated with many industries.
Furthermore, industry classifications rarely encompass the full nature of the work (and therefore skills) associated with a given industry. Therefore, ABS definitions of industries or sectors may not align with the definitions used by an industry association.
Key sectors of the industry
The administrative and support services industry provides business support functions including labour supply, facilities and travel arrangements.
The key sectors within the construction industry are:
- Employment services – includes recruitment, labour hire and executive search
- Building and property services – includes cleaning, pest control, gardening and security services
- Travel services – includes travel agencies, tour operators and ticketing services
- Other administrative services – includes call centres, document preparation, debt collection and packaging.
3 Workforce profile
Administrative and support services is Victoria’s twelfth largest employing industry, with a diverse and gender balanced workforce.
Employment
Employment by industry, 2025
- 113,000 Employed1 2025
- 3.0% Victorian employment share
- 12th Share rank.
Employment by industry subdivision, 2025
Industry subdivision | Number of workers |
|---|---|
Building cleaning, pest control and other support services | 62,000 |
Administrative services | 50,000 |
Workforce profile
Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.
Age distribution, 2021
Age profile – industry
Age | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
15-24 years | 11% |
25-49 years | 58% |
50 years and over | 32% |
Age profile – all industries
Age | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
15-24 years | 14% |
25-49 years | 57% |
50 years and over | 29% |
Sex distribution², 2021
Sex distribution – industry
Sex | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
Female | 50% |
Male | 50% |
Sex distribution – all industries
Sex | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
Female | 49% |
Male | 51% |
Highest level of education, 2021
Highest level of education – industry
Education | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
VET | 31% |
Higher education | 31% |
No post-school qualifications | 38% |
Highest level of education – all industries
Education | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
VET | 30% |
Higher education | 41% |
No post-school qualifications | 29% |
Workforce diversity
First Nations employment, 2021
Group | Percentage identifying as First Nations |
|---|---|
Industry | 0.8% |
All industries | 0.7% |
Working age population | 0.9% |
Speaks a language other than English³, 2021
Group | Percentage speaking a language other than English at home |
|---|---|
Industry | 34.2% |
All industries | 27.4% |
Working age population | 34.4% |
Needs assistance with core activities⁴, 2021
Group | Percentage needing assistance with core activities |
|---|---|
Industry | 1.9% |
All industries | 0.9% |
Working age population | 3.2% |
4 Top employing occupations
Commercial and domestic cleaners are the top employing occupations in the industry, characterised by a largely female, part‑time workforce.
Largest employing occupations within the industry by sex, employed part-time and highest education attainment
Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.
Number employed by sex², ABS Census 2021
Occupation | Number of workers | Percentage male | Percentage female |
|---|---|---|---|
Commercial cleaners | 17,200 | 47% | 53% |
Domestic cleaners | 7,500 | 22% | 78% |
Gardeners | 7,400 | 88% | 12% |
Human resource professionals | 6,000 | 36% | 64% |
Garden and nursery labourers | 2,100 | 91% | 9% |
Packers | 2,000 | 39% | 61% |
Tourism and travel advisers | 1,900 | 23% | 77% |
Call or contact centre workers | 1,900 | 44% | 56% |
General clerks | 1,700 | 13% | 87% |
Storepersons | 1,700 | 61% | 39% |
Percentage working part-time, 2021
Occupation | Percentage working part-time |
|---|---|
Commercial cleaners | 73% |
Domestic cleaners | 88% |
Gardeners | 58% |
Human resource professionals | 18% |
Garden and nursery labourers | 60% |
Packers | 50% |
Tourism and travel advisers | 48% |
Call or contact centre workers | 36% |
General clerks | 56% |
Storepersons | 54% |
Highest educational attainment, 2021
Occupation | Percentage VET | Percentage higher education | Percentage no post-school qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
Commercial cleaners | 24% | 27% | 49% |
Domestic cleaners | 29% | 16% | 55% |
Gardeners | 44% | 12% | 44% |
Human resource professionals | 30% | 48% | 22% |
Garden and nursery labourers | 37% | 7% | 56% |
Packers | 15% | 14% | 71% |
Tourism and travel advisers | 48% | 29% | 23% |
Call or contact centre workers | 27% | 33% | 40% |
General clerks | 33% | 26% | 41% |
Storepersons | 23% | 25% | 52% |
5 Workforce projections
By 2028, 8,600 new workers are expected to enter the administrative and support services industry.
Workforce projections: 3-year and 10-year outlook
Workforce projections – industry
Time period | Employment growth | Retirements | New workers expected5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Share | No. | Share | ||
2025 to 2028 | -1,500 | -17% | 10,100 | 117% | 8,600 |
2025 to 2035 | 5,600 | 14% | 33,600 | 86% | 39,100 |
Workforce projections – Victoria
Time period | Employment growth | Retirements | New workers expected5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Share | No. | Share | ||
2025 to 2028 | 143,000 | 38% | 230,000 | 62% | 373,000 |
2025 to 2035 | 650,000 | 45% | 804,000 | 55% | 1,454,000 |
Note: Totals may not sum exactly due to rounding.
New workers expected⁵ (2025-28) by industry subdivision
Industry subdivision | Number of workers | VET | Higher education | No post-school qualifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Building cleaning, pest | 5,600 | 32% | 20% | 48% |
Administrative services | 3,100 | 29% | 44% | 27% |
Occupations with high new workers expected⁵ (2025-28), with direct TAFE study pathways⁶
Occupation | New workers expected5 | TAFE pathways into occupation6 | Available under Free TAFE7 |
|---|---|---|---|
Commercial cleaners | 2,900 | Certificate III in Cleaning Operations | - |
Domestic cleaners | 2,120 | Certificate III in Cleaning Operations | - |
Gardeners | 560 | Certificate III in Landscape Construction | - |
Certificate II in Horticulture | ✓ | ||
Certificate III in Parks and Gardens | - | ||
Garden and nursery labourers | 550 | Certificate II in Horticulture | ✓ |
Certificate II in Parks and Gardens | - | ||
Certificate III in Nursery Operations | - | ||
Other cleaners | 270 | Certificate III in Cleaning Operations | - |
Inner Metropolitan (within metropolitan Melbourne) and Barwon (within regional Victoria) are expecting the highest share of new workers
New workers expected⁵ for administrative and support services, by region⁸, 2025-2028
New workers expected – industry
| Employment growth | Retirements | New workers expected 2028 | Share of total new workers expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Industry | -1,500 | 10,100 | 8,600 | 2% |
New workers expected – Metropolitan Melbourne
| Employment growth | Retirements | New workers expected 2028 | Share of total new workers expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Metropolitan Melbourne | -1,410 | 8,100 | 6,700 | 77% |
Inner metropolitan | -530 | 2,300 | 1,700 | 26% |
Western metropolitan | 230 | 1,100 | 1,400 | 21% |
Northern metropolitan | -110 | 1,300 | 1,200 | 18% |
Southern metropolitan | -350 | 1,500 | 1,100 | 17% |
Eastern metropolitan | -390 | 1,300 | 910 | 14% |
Inner south-east metropolitan | -260 | 650 | 390 | 6% |
New workers expected – Regional Victoria
| Employment growth | Retirements | New workers expected 2028 | Share of total new workers expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Regional Victoria | -100 | 2,100 | 2,000 | 23% |
Barwon | 150 | 460 | 600 | 31% |
Gippsland | -20 | 340 | 320 | 16% |
Loddon Campaspe | 20 | 290 | 310 | 16% |
Central Highlands | 20 | 240 | 260 | 13% |
Ovens Murray | 0 | 200 | 200 | 10% |
Goulburn | -40 | 170 | 130 | 7% |
Great South Coast | -40 | 130 | 90 | 5% |
Mallee | -140 | 180 | 30 | 2% |
Wimmera Southern Mallee | -40 | 60 | 10 | 1% |
Note: Totals may not sum exactly due to rounding.
- 77 per cent of the new workers expected for the industry will be located within metropolitan Melbourne, with Inner metropolitan and Western metropolitan with the highest share of new workers
- 23 per cent of the new workers expected for the industry will be located within regional Victoria, with Barwon and Gippsland with the highest share of new workers.
6 Top growing occupations
The top growing jobs in the industry are diverse, with most requiring school or VET education pathways.
Occupations with the highest new workers expected within the administrative and support services industry
Occupations with highest new workers expected5 | New workers expected5 | Skill level9 | Annual median earnings10 | Retention rate11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Commercial cleaners | 2,900 | 5 | $60,752 | 74.9% |
Domestic cleaners | 2,100 | 5 | Not available | 66.1% |
Gardeners | 560 | 3 | Not available | 79.4% |
Garden and nursery labourers | 550 | 5 | Not available | 71.6% |
General clerks | 310 | 4 | $67,860 | 79.1% |
Other cleaners | 270 | 4,5 | $60,684 | 70.2% |
Handypersons | 200 | 5 | $62,920 | 75.9% |
Tourism and travel advisers | 170 | 3,4 | $62,254 | 77.5% |
Payroll clerks | 160 | 4 | $79,175 | 88.0% |
Primary school teachers | 140 | 1 | $105,539 | 91.8% |
7 Skills needs
Skills in demand within the industry are largely aligned with top growing occupations, with cleaning and janitorial services in growing demand.
Industry-specific skill demand
The most in-demand skills are regulation and legal compliance, and office productivity equipment, and technology. Communication, initiative and leadership, and personal attributes (e.g. right attitude/mindset) are also important, with over 65 per cent of job advertisements within the industry mentioning one or more of these skills.
Most mentioned industry-specific skills, 2024, as share of job ads
Industry-specific skill | Share of job ads |
|---|---|
Regulation and legal | 10.4% |
Office and productivity | 9.3% |
Administrative support | 8.9% |
Inventory and warehousing | 8.1% |
Occupational health and | 7.1% |
Health care procedure and | 6.9% |
General accounting | 6.8% |
Billing and invoicing | 5.9% |
Heavy equipment operation | 5.8% |
Basic technical knowledge | 5.7% |
Growing skills mentions within industry
Skills increasingly being mentioned in job advertisements within the administrative and support industry are cleaning and janitorial services, material handling, and metal fabrication.
Note: these exclude industry-specific skills already identified as being in high demand.
Growing skills, percentage point difference in job ad mentions 2019 to 2024
Industry-specific skill | Percentage of job ad mentions in 2019 | Percentage of job ad mentions in 2024 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
Cleaning and janitorial services | 1.8% | 11.9% | 10.1% |
Material handling | 1.2% | 9.4% | 8.2% |
Metal fabrication | 0.0% | 6.0% | 6.0% |
Groundskeeping and yard care | 1.5% | 6.7% | 5.2% |
Landscaping and horticulture | 2.2% | 5.8% | 3.6% |
Business analysis | 3.3% | 6.5% | 3.2% |
Waste management | 0.0% | 3.1% | 3.1% |
Communication | 1.2% | 3.2% | 2.0% |
Human resources software | 1.6% | 3.6% | 2.0% |
Insurance | 0.0% | 1.8% | 1.8% |
8 Training activity
Popular courses and study areas linked to this industry include the Certificate III in Landscape Construction (VET) and Business Management (HE).
Government-funded VET courses⁶
The Certificate III in Landscape Construction, Certificate II in Horticulture and Certificate III in Horticulture are among the most popular VET courses in the industry.
| Course code | Course name | Available under Free TAFE7 |
|---|---|---|
| AHC30921 | Certificate III in Landscape Construction(opens in a new window) | - |
| AHC20422 | Certificate II in Horticulture(opens in a new window) | ✓ |
| AHC30722 | Certificate III in Horticulture(opens in a new window) | ✓ |
| CPP30321 | Certificate III in Cleaning Operations | - |
| AHC30824 | Certificate III in Arboriculture(opens in a new window) | - |
| AHC31024 | Certificate III in Parks and Gardens(opens in a new window) | - |
| SIT30222 | Certificate III in Travel | - |
| SIT30125 | Certificate III in Tourism(opens in a new window) | ✓ |
| SIT50322 | Diploma of Event Management | - |
| SIT40125 | Certificate IV in Travel and Tourism | - |
Clicking the link will take you to the Victorian Skills Gateway(opens in a new window), where you can find further information about the course, entry requirements, training providers and financial supports available.
University study areas
Popular university study areas aligned with this industry include business management, business and management, n.e.c. and management and commerce.
| FoE code | Field of education (FoE) |
|---|---|
| 080301 | Business Management |
| 080399 | Business and Management, n.e.c. |
| 080000 | Management and Commerce |
| 080303 | Human Resource Management |
| 080307 | Organisation Management |
| 080309 | Industrial Relations |
| 080305 | Personal Management Training |
| 120501 | Career Development Programmes |
| 091507 | Eastern European Languages |
| 120503 | Job Search Skills Programmes |
9 Appendix 1: Data notes
1. Employed: Refers to the estimated number of workers in the industry (working one or more paid hours per week) at the close of the financial year. The estimate is derived using the average of past observations.
2. Sex distribution: In the 2021 Census, respondents could select one of three options for the sex question: male, female, or non-binary sex. Census data is only available for responses recorded as male or female.
3. Speaks a language other than English: Refers to individuals who use a non-English language in their household. The ABS collects this data through the Census.
4. Workers who need assistance with core activities: Are workers with a profound or severe core activity limitation in one or more areas of self-care, mobility and communication.
5. New workers expected: Refers to the estimated number of people needed to enter the workforce in each industry, occupation or region over a specified timeframe. It combines two elements:
- Employment growth – new jobs created as businesses and services expand
- Retirements – workers aged over 50 who are expected to permanently leave the workforce, based on patterns observed in tax and census data.
This figure shows how many new workers may be needed to both fill new roles and replace people exiting due to retirement. These are projections – informed estimates based on past trends, government policy, and population forecasts.
6. TAFE study pathways: Refers to government-funded Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses that upon completion, provide a pathway into occupations.These pathways include courses at the same or lower skill level than the related ANZSCO 4-digit occupation or courses at a higher skill level with no barriers to entry such as prior qualifications or prerequisites. VET course pathways reflect funding as of November 2025 and the courses included in the 2026 Training Needs List. Funding for VET courses is regularly updated and is subject to change.
7. Free TAFE: Refers to Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses for which the Victorian Government provides free tuition for eligible students. The Free TAFE list reflects funding as of November 2025 and courses included in the 2026 Training Needs List. Funding for VET courses is regularly updated and is subject to change.
8. Regions: Are groupings of local government areas (LGAs) that align to the Victorian Government’s Regional Partnerships and former Metropolitan Partnerships.
9. Skill Level: Reflects the level of educational attainment, training or experience needed to perform an occupation’s tasks. Skill levels:
- Skill Level 1: Occupations typically require a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Skill Level 2: Occupations typically require an associate degree, Advanced Diploma, or Diploma
- Skill Level 3: Occupations typically require a Certificate III (including apprenticeship) or a Certificate IV
- Skill Level 4: Occupations typically require a Certificate III (non-apprenticeship pathway) or a Certificate II
- Skill Level 5: Occupations typically require a Certificate I or compulsory secondary education.
10. Median earnings: Is the estimated annual median earnings of full-time non-managerial employees in a selected occupation across Australia, based on ABS data from May 2023.
11. Retention rate: Measures the proportion of workers who remain in the same occupation from one financial year to the next, based on ATO data from 2021-22.
9 Appendix 2: Data sources
Industry snapshot
Workforce overview
Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Workforce profile
- Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025
- ABS, Census, Age in five-year groups by sex, ANZSIC1, 2021
- ABS, Census, Level of highest educational attainment, ANZSIC1, 2021.
Projections
Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Regional outlook
Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Skills demand
Lightcast, ANZ Postings, Victorian Skills Authority's analysis, 2024.
Skills supply
- NCVER, Total VET Activity (TVA) program enrolments, government-funded courses in Victoria, 2015–2023, VOCSTATS
- Australian Government Department of Education, Higher education student enrolment by 6-digit ASCED Field of Education, 2024.
Workforce profile
Employment
Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Workforce profile
- ABS, Census, Age in five-year groups by sex, ANZSIC1, 2021
- ABS, Census, Level of highest educational attainment, ANZSIC1, 2021.
Workforce diversity
- ABS, Census, Indigenous status ANZSIC1, 2021
- ABS, Census, Language used at home, ANZSIC1, 2021
- ABS, Census, Indigenous status ANZSIC1, 2021.
Top employing occupations
- ABS, Census, Age in five-year groups by sex, ANZSIC1, 2021
- ABS, Census, Industry of employment and labour force status by State, ANZSIC1, ANZSCO4, 2021
- ABS, Census, Level of highest educational attainment, ANZSIC1, 2021.
Workforce projections
- Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Top growing occupations
Employment
Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Skill level
ABS, Census, Occupation skill level (OCSKP), ANZSCO4, 2021.
Annual median earnings
ABS, Survey of employee earnings and hours, May 2023.
Retention rate
Australian Taxation Office, Occupation transition 2010-11 to 2021-22 income years.
Skills needs
- Lightcast, ANZ Postings, Victorian Skills Authority's analysis, 2024 and 2019 - 2024.
Training activity
- NCVER, Total VET Activity (TVA) program enrolments, government-funded courses in Victoria, 2015–2023, VOCSTATS
- Australian Government Department of Education, Higher education student enrolment by 6-digit ASCED Field of Education, 2024.