ANZSCO 2725

Social Workers

Overview

EMPLOYED

46,300

PART-TIME SHARE

30%

FEMALE SHARE

87%

MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS

$1,850

MEDIAN AGE

41

ANNUAL EMPLOYMENT GROWTH

2,700

About this data

Summary

Social Workers assess the social needs of individuals, families and groups, assist and empower people to develop and use the skills and resources needed to resolve social and other problems, and further human wellbeing and human rights, social justice and social development.

Tasks

  • Acting as a facilitator between clients in need and community services
  • Assessing resources for health, welfare, recreation, housing, employment and other community services
  • Providing leadership and assistance for the implementation of pilot projects in community development and self-help, and planning and implementing research projects to address client needs, organisation goals and social policy
  • Cooperating with community organisations, social agencies and voluntary groups to improve services and develop new services
  • Conducting individual and family case interviews to identify the nature and extent of clients' problems
  • Assisting clients to understand and resolve problems by providing information, acting as a mediator and referring them to community and self-help agencies
  • Analysing, developing, promoting and implementing social policies through the use of practice experience, research, analytic frameworks, and negotiation skills to respond to social need through a fair, equitable and effective allocation of social resource
  • Monitoring the progress of clients by maintaining contact
  • Compiling case records and reports

ANZSCO Classification

Details

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    Earnings and Hours

    Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)
    Source: Share of workers who work full-time hours: ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average, customised report.
    Average full-time hours worked per week: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Median full-time earnings per week and Median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2023, customised report.
    Note: median earnings data have not been produced for some occupations where there is a high standard error, and are published with "N/A" values.
    Earnings and Hours Social Workers All Occupations
    Share of workers who work full-time hours 70% 70%
    Average full-time hours worked per week 40 hours 44 hours
    Median full-time earnings per week $1,850 $1,697
    Median hourly earnings $48 $43

    Industries

    Social Workers work in industries like:

    Source: Ranked using ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average data, custom report.
    Note: industries that comprise less than 5% of an occupation have been suppressed.

    States and territories

    New South Wales

    27.8%

    Victoria

    30.6%

    Queensland

    20.4%

    South Australia

    9.7%

    Tasmania

    2.4%

    Northern Territory

    1.3%

    Australian Capital Territory

    2.0%

    Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, Detailed, November 2024, Jobs and Skills Australia trend data.

    Age and gender

    Age and Gender Profile
    Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey, 2023, four-quarter average, customised report.
    Age and Gender Social Workers All Occupations
    Median age 41 years 39 years
    Female share of employment 87% 48%
    Source: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Age Profile (% Share) All Occupations Social Workers
    15–19 5.2 0.1
    20–24 9.1 3.9
    25–34 22.7 28.1
    35–44 22.3 26.4
    45–54 20.4 22.3
    55–59 8.8 8.6
    60–64 6.5 6.6
    65 and Over 4.9 4.1

    Education

    Visit

    • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
    • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
    Source: ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on place of usual residence.
    Highest Level of Educational Attainment (% Share) All Occupations Social Workers
    Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 12.2 30.2
    Bachelor degree 23.2 51.5
    Advanced Diploma/Diploma 11.1 9.3
    Certificate III/IV 19.5 4.0
    Year 12 15.9 2.4
    Year 11 4.0 0.4
    Year 10 and below 9.7 0.7
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      Occupation profiles data

      This file contains data displayed on the Occupation Profile pages.

      Use of data in this file must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      Occupation profiles data - November 2024.xlsx

      occupation_profiles_data_-_november_2024.xlsx946664

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      Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations

      Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) is the skill-based classification system used to categorise occupations in the Australian and New Zealand labour markets. ANZSCO provides a basis for the standardised collection, analysis and dissemination of occupation data. Visit the ABS website to learn how ANZSCO works. Jobs and Skills Australia displays data for occupations that are defined by ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.3.