ANZSCO 521211
Secretary (General)
General information, not immigration advice. Data as at 2026-10-22.
About this occupation
ANZSCO 2022Performs secretarial, clerical and other administrative tasks in support of Managers and Professionals.
Unit group 5212
Secretaries
Secretaries perform secretarial, clerical and other administrative tasks in support of Managers, Legal Professionals and other professionals. Medical Secretaries are excluded from this unit group.
Indicative skill level
Most occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with the qualifications and experience outlined below.
In Australia
- AQF Associate Degree, Advanced Diploma or Diploma, or at least three years of relevant experience (ANZSCO Skill Level 2)
In New Zealand
- NZQF Diploma, or at least three years of relevant experience (ANZSCO Skill Level 2)
In some instances relevant experience and/or on-the-job training may be required in addition to the formal qualification.
Tasks include
- Liaising with other staff to arrange meetings, and to gain and provide information
- Preparing reports, briefing notes and correspondence, and proofreading work for typographical and grammatical errors
- Maintaining appointment diaries and making travel arrangements
- Processing incoming and outgoing mail, filing correspondence and maintaining records
- Answering telephone calls, responding to inquiries and redirecting callers
- Taking and transcribing dictation of letters and other documents
Show all 9 tasks
- Greeting visitors, ascertaining nature of business and directing visitors to appropriate persons
- May implement management decisions and maintain records of meetings
- May handle bookkeeping and petty cash functions
Occupations in this unit group
- 521211 Secretary (General)This occupation
- 521212 Legal Secretary
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022. CC BY 4.0.
ANZSCO 2022 (the edition the CSOL uses for the 482 and 186 visas)
Title in this edition: Secretary (General), skill level 2
- Major group
- 5 Clerical and Administrative Workers
- Sub-major group
- 52 Personal Assistants and Secretaries
- Minor group
- 521 Personal Assistants and Secretaries
- Unit group
- 5212 Secretaries
The title and groups are the same in ANZSCO 2013 v1.2 and ANZSCO 2022.
Occupation Shortage List (2026)
- National rating
- No Shortage
- Confidence
- Clear
- Rated on
- ANZSCO 2022
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List - 6 digit ANZSCO and OSCA, released 21 October 2026. CC BY 4.0.
Possible visa options
Visas that Secretary (General) may be eligible for through its skilled list placement. Being on a list is one requirement; each visa has others (points, age, English, nomination or sponsorship).
| Visa | Stay | MLTSSL | STSOL | ROL | CSOL | Instrument |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional) (subclass 494) - Employer sponsored stream | Temporary (5 years) | Not on MLTSSL | STSOL not used for this visa | On ROL | CSOL not used for this visa | LIN 19/219, s 5(1) |
✓ the occupation is on a list this visa uses · ✗ this visa uses the list but the occupation is not on it · — the visa does not use this list. Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, visa pages, CC BY 3.0 AU.
Average salary, May 2025
Unit group 5212 Secretaries (ANZSCO 2022). all employees, Average weekly total cash earnings.
| Average weekly earnings | Average age | |
|---|---|---|
| All employees | $1,197.00 | 50.5 |
| Males | $1,226.60 (estimate has a relative standard error greater than 50% and is considered too unreliable for general use) | 53.4 |
| Females | $1,194.00 | 50.2 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2025: data cube 63060DO011_202505 (Table 1), released 23 January 2026. CC BY 4.0.
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Scan to get the appSource: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO (CC BY 4.0). Source: Department of Home Affairs, Skilled occupation list (CC BY 4.0). Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List. © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2025. © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0. Search another occupation