Bar Useful

A bar useful, often called a glassie or busser, keeps the public areas of a bar, club, pub or dining venue clean and tidy during service. They collect empty glasses, dishes and cutlery and return them to the bar or kitchen, wipe down tables and bar tops, clean up spills and empty bins. It is often an entry-level hospitality job and a common first step towards bar work.

Walk the floor during service to collect empty glasses, plates and cutlery. Return glasses to the bar and dishes to the kitchen, and help load and unload the glass washer. Wipe down tables, bar tops and other surfaces. Clean up spills and broken glass quickly to keep the floor safe. Empty bins and keep outdoor and smoking areas tidy. Restock items such as napkins, coasters and condiments when asked. Help set up the venue before opening and clean down after close. Let bar staff or a manager know about patrons who may need attention.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate I or compulsory secondary education (ABS skill level 5). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You are on your feet for whole shifts, often late at night and on weekends and public holidays. The work can be physical and repetitive, and you may deal with intoxicated or difficult patrons. Many roles are casual, so your hours can change from week to week.

Jobs are wherever there are pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants, with the most in capital cities and busy tourist areas. Regional towns with pubs and clubs also have work, though there are fewer venues. The work is on-site, so remote work isn't possible. Demand can rise and fall with the hospitality season and local events.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 4319, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracycore
• Clean particular areas manuallycore
• Clean toilet facilitiescore
• Complaint Handlingcore
• Conflict De-escalationcore
• Customer Needs Assessmentcore
• Invoicing and Billing Administrationcore
• Multitaskingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Carry out pressure washing activities
• Clean building floors
• Clean furniture
• Clean glass surfaces
• Clean public areas
• Clean surfaces
• Cleaning industry health and safety measures
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivity
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligence
• Incident Reporting
• Inventory Tracking
• Regulatory and Legislative Awareness
• Stock Counting and Stocktake
• Workload Self-Management

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 10 October 2026