OSCA occupation

273333 Software Engineer

Designs, develops, modifies, documents, tests and maintains software applications and systems using programming languages and development tools.

Major group: 2 Professionals
Unit group: 2733 Software and Applications Engineers
Edition: OSCA 2024
Skill level: Level 1

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OSCA 2024 is the current Australian occupation classification for storing, organising and reporting occupation information. Use this OSCA record for current Australian statistical and analytical classification work.

Some migration and administrative programs still specify ANZSCO 2022. Check the exact system named by the agency or form rather than replacing the code automatically.

Check the current ABS guidance on OSCA and ANZSCO use

Official ANZSCO correspondence

Role overview

Designs, develops, modifies, documents, tests and maintains software applications and systems using programming languages and development tools.

Use this page to confirm the official title, the parent unit group, the task list and the related ANZSIC industry context before using the occupation in classification, reporting or migration-adjacent workflows.

Occupation facts

Skill level: 1
Major group: 2 Professionals
Sub-major group: 27 ICT Professionals
Minor group: 273 ICT Programmers, Analysts, Architects and Engineers
Unit group: 2733 Software and Applications Engineers

Tasks

Designs and implements software architectures to solve complex technical issues in alignment with specified requirements
Writes, tests and debugs code to ensure functionality, efficiency and adherence to quality accredited standards
Performs code reviews and optimises algorithms to ensure software quality, maintainability and adherence to best practices
Implements and manages software development processes and tools
Identifies, assesses and mitigates potential risks throughout software development
Collaborates with cross-functional teams to integrate software solutions within broader system infrastructures
Documents software designs, workflows and user manuals to guide stakeholders and end-users

Skill level guidance

Skill level helps place the occupation inside the ABS hierarchy. Use it as a classification cue, then check the actual task list and occupational context before making a decision for HR, visa or reporting work.

How to use this occupation page

Start with the official OSCA title and task list. Then confirm the parent unit group and compare the related occupations on this page if the job title is broad, overlapping or used differently across employers.

The ANZSIC links are there to help when the same occupation appears across several industries and you need the business-side classification as well.

Related occupations

Industry context

Alternative titles

Analyst Programmer
Developer Programmer
Software Developer

Compare before choosing

Compare OSCA 273333 with related occupations

Compare roles in the same OSCA unit group by their official definition, skill level, tasks and recognised alternative titles.

Comparison point	Current code273333 Software Engineer	273331 Cloud Engineer	273332 DevOps Engineer
Official role definition	Designs, develops, modifies, documents, tests and maintains software applications and systems using programming languages and development tools.	Builds, supports, manages and maintains cloud-based solutions and services, including cloud-based processes, applications, storage and computer networks.	Facilitates and undertakes communication, collaboration, integration and automation to improve efficiency and workflow across different specialist IT teams.
Skill level	Skill Level 1	Skill Level 1	Skill Level 1
Key tasks	Designs and implements software architectures to solve complex technical issues in alignment with specified requirements Writes, tests and debugs code to ensure functionality, efficiency and adherence to quality accredited standards Performs code reviews and optimises algorithms to ensure software quality, maintainability and adherence to best practices Implements and manages software development processes and tools	Deploys, configures and automates cloud services Creates, tests and implements cloud-based functions and applications Monitors and manages cloud resources and performance to ensure they are meeting production goals Troubleshoots issues with cloud-based solutions and services, and implements enhancements and fixes when necessary	Leads and coordinates software development and operations, including continuous integration, continuous delivery, code deployment and system automation Promotes collaboration between development teams and operations teams Deploys applications or updates systems to ensure uniformity between networks, servers and automation elements within a given environment Automates software and infrastructure deployment using automation tools to improve the software development life cycle
Alternative titles	Analyst Programmer Developer Programmer Software Developer	Not stated	Not stated

Comparison uses occupation definitions, skill levels, tasks and title variants from the ABS OSCA data files.

In this section

Official source

Official source: ABS OSCA 2024 release and correspondence tables
Last reviewed: 2026-04-17

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