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Career pathway

Funeral Workers

ANZSCO 4513

Employed

5,300

Part-time share

33%

Female share

51%

Median age

52 yrs

Employment outlook

Growing

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia · ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing.

Salary and some workforce figures are suppressed for this occupation because Jobs and Skills Australia / the ABS do not publish estimates for small populations (typically fewer than 50 employed people) or because the figures have been perturbed for privacy. They are shown as unavailable rather than zero.

About this career

Funeral Workers prepare bodies for viewing and burial, arrange and conduct funerals, and perform other specialist funereal services.

What they typically do

  • Interviewing families and associates of the deceased to assist with funeral arrangements such as the selection of coffin, type of service and publication of death notices
  • Advising on funeral costs and welfare provisions
  • Collecting bodies from mortuaries
  • Ensuring death certificates have been issued, burial and cremation certificates processed and that other legal requirements are met
  • Preparing bodies for viewing and burial by washing, draining body fluids, applying padding and cosmetics, dressing bodies and placing them in coffins
  • Liaising with clergy and cemetery and crematorium staff
  • Coordinating the movement of coffins and funeral cars, arranging floral displays and collecting attendance and tribute cards
  • Arranging the placement of coffins at funeral sites, and placing and adjusting floral displays and lighting
  • Keeping records and accounts of transactions and services performed
  • May arrange the construction of memorials and the disposal of ashes

States and territories

Share of workers by location

NSW
28.3%
QLD
23.2%
VIC
22.9%
WA
14.9%
SA
4.2%
TAS
2.7%
NT
1.9%
ACT
1.9%

Qualification pathways

These accredited qualifications can lead to a career as a Funeral Workers.