The Australian space sector is burgeoning and so is its workforce. 

Today, the Australian Government released its new Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) to better reflect the country's contemporary labour market as well as the needs of its diverse industries and stakeholders.

Established by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, OSCA is a standardised framework for storing, organising and reporting occupation-related information. It informs Australia’s important decisions involving statistical outputs and labour market analysis. 

 “Having an occupation classification that reflects the modern labour market supports efficient, accurate and informed decision-making by governments, industry and businesses.

“Key benefits are the inclusion of new and emerging occupations, better coverage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander occupations and the removal of gendered language like ‘man’ and ‘woman’ from occupation titles and descriptions.”

~ Australian Statistician Dr David Gruen

The new OSCA replaces the previous classification – Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) – that underwent a comprehensive review. 

As part of this review's public consultation period, the Australian Space Agency provided submissions after seeking suggestions from its vast network of government partners and industry experts. 

The collaborative effort resulted in a number of the space-based recommendations to be reflected in the new classification, including new occupations and updates to existing jobs.  

New space-related roles

Updated space-related roles

  • Aerospace Engineer – renamed from Aeronautical Engineer with added specialisations of Aeronautical Engineer and Propulsion Engineer
     
  • Geologist – reworded description to include ‘other planetary bodies’
     
  • Geophysicist – reworded description and tasks to be more inclusive of space by adding ‘or other planetary bodies’
     
  • Hydrologist – renamed from Hydrogeologist for broader term
     
  • Metal Machinist (First Class) – added specialisation of Computer Numerical Control Machinist. 

The new classification is available on the ABS website and will be reflected in official labour market statistics from September 2026, and in 2026 Census data outputs. 

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