Funeral Services

Industry insights on skills needs

The Personal Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast identifies the key priority skills for the Personal Services industry (inclusive of Funeral Service workers), as:

• Teamwork and communication
• Emotional intelligence
• Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility
• Self-management
• Creativity.

According to job vacancy data, the key generic skills in demand in this sector are communication skills and being detail orientated, with Funeral Workers and Funeral Directors the top two occupations in demand and Invocare Australia identified as the top employer.

The Service Sector Workforce Insights report by the South Australian Training and Skills Commission suggests growth in the Funeral Services industry can be attributed to not only an increasing death rate due to an ageing population, but also an increase in the cultural diversity of burials requiring additional services, skills and land; longer funerals with higher expectations for technology; and increased regulatory requirements. This reported industry growth correlates with the Australian Government Job Outlook and the Skills Priority List: June 2021 which identify moderate to strong future growth for Funeral Workers.

The Personal Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast highlights how technology is shaping the sector through new product offerings, including webcasts for funeral services and introducing QR codes on headstones. In addition, a report on the industry by the Retail and Personal Services Training Council (RAPS) suggest the adoption of technology in the industry brings about the need for new skill sets, including the operation of audio-visual equipment, webcasting procedures, advanced customer service skills and service coordination.

Additionally, an article from the Australian Financial Review revealed the pivot to virtual funeral services during the pandemic allowed funeral services to occur despite COVID restrictions, and included video and audio eulogies constructed into a virtual service and played in a chapel and over a web-streaming platform. One listed service reported their web-streaming platform had grown by over 80 per cent in three months.

According to a report by the ABC, despite advances in refrigeration technologies and an increase in cremation, embalming is still a key part of the funeral services industry. Despite South Australia not having had any students studying in Adelaide for at least seven years, the need will come for more students as current embalmers retire in the future.

Below is a list of industry-relevant research, organisations and associations. Hyperlinks have been included where available.

IRC and Skills Forecasts

Personal Services IRC

• Personal Services IRC’s 2019 Skills Forecast
• IRC membership
• Skills IQ – Skills Service Organisation.

Relevant research

Australian Government Job Outlook – Australian Government National Skills Commission

Embalming is vital in the funeral industry, but a lack of skilled practitioners is causing concern - Natarsha Kallios, ABC

Funeral Services Environmental Scan – Retail and Personal Services Training Council

Industry Developments and Workforce Challenges: Funeral Services – Retail and Personal Services Training Council (RAPS)

Service Sector Workforce Insights – Training and Skills Commission (TASC)

Skills Priority List: June 2021 - National Skills Commission

The 10 most innovative government, education and not-for-profit firms - Australian Financial Review

Industry associations and advisory bodies

Australian Funeral Directors Association

Australian Institute of Embalming

The Association of Independent Funeral Professionals

National Funeral Directors Association of Australia

Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association

Department of Employment 2021, Employment Projections, available from the Labour Market Information Portal

• by ANZSIC 3 digit 952 Funeral, Crematorium and Cemetery Services industry, employment projections to May 2025
• by ANZSCO, selected occupations, employment projections to May 2025

• 3622 Gardeners
• 4513 Funeral Workers
• 4518 Other Personal Service Workers
• 5311 General Clerks
• 8211 Building and Plumbing Labourers.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021, 6291.0.55.001 - EQ08 - Employed persons by Occupation unit group of main job (ANZSCO), Sex, State and Territory, August 1986 onwards, viewed 1 August 2021, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/may-2021

• Employed total by ANZSIC 3 digit Funeral, Crematorium and Cemetery Services Industry, 2001 to 2021, May Quarter.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, 2016 Census – employment, income and unpaid work, TableBuilder. Findings based on use of ABS TableBuilder data.

• Employment level by 3 digit 952 Funeral, Crematorium and Cemetery Services industry, and 4 digit level occupations to identify the relevant VET-related occupations in the industry as a proportion of the total workforce.

Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Student and Courses from the following training packages or qualifications:

• SIF Funeral Services Training Package
• Certificate III in Cemetery and Crematorium Operations.
  
  • SIF30113 - Certificate III in Cemetery and Crematorium Operations
• Certificate III in Funeral Operations
  
  • SIF20113 - Certificate II in Funeral Operations
  • SIF30308 - Certificate III in Funeral Operations
  • SIF30313 - Certificate III in Funeral Operations.
• Certificate III in Gravedigging, Grounds and Maintenance
  
  • SIF30213 - Certificate III in Gravedigging, Grounds and Maintenance.
• Certificate IV in Embalming
  
  • SIF40208 - Certificate IV in Embalming
  • SIF40213 - Certificate IV in Embalming
  • WFS40202 - Certificate IV in Funeral Services (Embalming).
• Certificate IV in Funeral Services
  
  • SIF40108 - Certificate IV in Funeral Services
  • SIF40113 - Certificate IV in Funeral Services.

This includes superseded qualifications and training packages.

Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:

• 2016 to 2020 program enrolments
• 2016 to 2020 program completions.

Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document.

Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.

SIF Funeral Services Training Package apprentice and trainee data has been extracted from the National Apprentice and Trainee collection, including:

• 2011 to 2020 commencements
• 2011 to 2020 completions
• apprentices and trainees in-training October to December 2020 collection, by qualification and state and territory.

Job vacancy data have been extracted from Burning Glass Technologies 2021, Labor Insight Real-time Labor Market Information Tool, Burning Glass Technologies, Boston, viewed July 2021, https://www.burning-glass.com.

Data shown represent most requested generic skills and occupations according to internet job postings in Australia between July 2018 and June 2021 filtered by ANZSIC and ANZSCO classification levels listed below.

• Generic skills / Occupations
  
  • 9520 Funeral, Crematorium and Cemetery Services.
• Employer
  
  • 451399 Funeral Workers nec
  • 451311 Funeral Director
  • 362211 Gardener (General)
  • 362311 Greenkeeper
  • 899999 Labourers nec
  • 9520 Funeral, Crematorium and Cemetery Services.