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Occupations / Bookkeepers

Bookkeepers

Bookkeepers maintain and evaluate records of financial transactions in account books and computerised accounting systems.

Business & adminLicensed workANZSCO 5512
$1,400/wkMedian full-time pay
92kPeople employed
+6% ▲Growth to 2035
40%Work full time
52Median age
Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 5512.More about our sources: How we check our facts

What they do

The main tasks of this occupation, from the national occupation standard.

keeping financial records, and maintaining and balancing accounts using manual and computerised systemsmonitoring cash flow and lines of creditpreparing and producing financial statements, budget and expenditure reports and analyses using account books, ledgers and accounting software packagespreparing invoices, purchase orders and bank depositsreconciling accounts against monthly bank statementsverifying recorded transactions and reporting irregularities to management
Source: JSA occupation profileTask list from the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 5512 (ANZSCO task statements).More about our sources: How we check our facts

The outlook

Room for 5,200 more people in bookkeepers by 2035 ▲

The field shrank 1.1% in the year to February 2026, losing about 1,000 workers. Most of the jobs are in NSW and VIC, with QLD third.

Source: JSA · ABS, 2025-26ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 5512.More about our sources: How we check our facts
88.3k2025
89.4k2030 PROJ.
93.5k2035 PROJ.

Getting in

There is no single way in. 36% trained through VET, 27% hold a degree.

Both paths are common in this field. These are the nationally recognised courses mapped to this occupation, with the number of registered training providers that offer each one.

Source: JSA · training.gov.auEducation split: JSA (Jobs and Skills Australia) occupation profile, using ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Census data, ANZSCO 5512. Qualification mapping and provider counts: training.gov.au, the national register of vocational education, October 2026. Listed providers are current registered training providers (private providers and TAFE institutes).More about our sources: How we check our facts

Nationally recognised training · most offered first

FNS40222Certificate IV

Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping

Financial Services Training Package · licensed work.

See 123 providers

Licensed work: several of these courses lead to work that also needs a state or territory licence. Training is the first step; licensing rules are set by each state.

Providers are shown in A-Z order on each course page. A listing is not a recommendation.

Jobs open right now

92k Australians do this work. See who is hiring this month.

Search job ads by state

Each link opens seek.com.au in a new tab, showing ads posted in the last month. SEEK is a job site; we link there because that is where most Australian jobs are advertised. We have no commercial relationship with SEEK.

Source: ABS · JSA, 2025-26State chart shows people employed, not current job ads. ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) Labour Force via Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), February 2026; ABS Employee Earnings and Hours May 2025; JSA Employment Projections, May 2025 base. ANZSCO 5512.More about our sources: How we check our facts

People employed by state, 2025-26

NSW26.1k
VIC25.8k
QLD21.7k
WA9.7k
SA5.9k
TAS2k
ACT1.2k
NT1k

Occupations near this one

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