Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers

ANZSCO ID 4233

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
77,500
Future Growth
9.6%
Weekly Earnings
$1,282
Full-Time Share
37%
Female Share
78%
Average age
43

Summary

Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers provide assistance, support and direct care to patients in a variety of health, welfare and community settings.

Tasks

  • assisting patients with their personal care needs such as showering, dressing and eating

  • assisting patients with their mobility and communication needs

  • participating in planning the care of individuals

  • following therapy plans such as interventions to assist those with dementia and behavioural problems

  • observing and reporting changes in patients' condition, and reporting complaints about care

  • assisting with rehabilitation exercises, basic treatment and delivering medications

  • providing direct support and assistance to therapists

Characteristics

Job Type
Community And Personal Service Workers
Skill Level
Lower skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Below average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Practical
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Medium
  • Heavy
  • Very Heavy

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers:

  • is expected to grow strongly
  • is likely to reach 107,000 by 2026.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
9.6%
(or 9,400 jobs)
From
97,600
in 2021
To
107,000
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 83,900
2012 75,200
2013 93,300
2014 89,400
2015 91,000
2016 88,600
2017 91,100
2018 98,400
2019 102,400
2020 80,500
2021 97,600
2026 107,000

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 38% of people employed as Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 28 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 42 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,282 per week, this is much lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,148
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,378

    Median hourly earnings are $32, this is lower than the all jobs median ($41 per hour).

    Sources: Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average. Full-time median earnings and median hourly earnings: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021. Compared to all jobs median.

Weekly Earnings (Before Tax)

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Earnings Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,282 1,593
Total Earnings 0 0

Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2021, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.


Industries

Main industries

1
Health Care and Social Assistance
96.4%
2
Administrative and Support Services
1.7%
3
Public Administration and Safety
0.7%
4
Other Services
0.5%
5
Other industries
0.5%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

35.0% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

22.0% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

21.7% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

6.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.0% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.1% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.6% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.1% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers All Jobs Average
NSW 35.0 31.6
VIC 22.0 25.6
QLD 21.7 20.0
SA 6.3 7.0
WA 11.0 10.8
TAS 2.1 2.0
NT 0.6 1.0
ACT 1.1 1.9


  • Around 45% of Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers live outside of capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 38%.

    New South Wales has a large share of employment relative to its population size.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
43
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
78%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers is 43 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 78% of the workforce. This is 30 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers All Jobs Average
15-19 2.1 5.0
20-24 10.3 9.3
25-34 21.5 22.9
35-44 18.8 22.0
45-54 24.0 21.6
55-59 12.0 9.0
60-64 7.9 6.0
65 and Over 3.5 4.2
Median Age 43 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Nursing Support or Personal Care Worker. Although most workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification or a university degree.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Health Industry and Community Services VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 3.6 10.1
Bachelor degree 14.4 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 13.8 11.6
Certificate III/IV 39.9 21.1
Year 12 14.5 18.1
Year 11 2.9 4.8
Year 10 and below 10.8 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers who are caring, compassionate, empathetic and physically fit with good people skills.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 52%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 48%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 46%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 46%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 46%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 45%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 43%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 43%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 43%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 43%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 43%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 43%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 43%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 41%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 41%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 39%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 32%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 30%

    Operation monitoring

    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

  • 29%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 57%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 42%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 41%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 36%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 33%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 30%

    Philosophy and theology

    Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.

  • 28%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 28%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 27%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

  • 27%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 24%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 24%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 23%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 23%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 23%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 21%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 21%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 20%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 18%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.

  • 16%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 55%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 54%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 50%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 50%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 45%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 45%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 45%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 45%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 43%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 43%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 43%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 43%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 43%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 43%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 41%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 41%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 41%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 41%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 41%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 34%

    Manual dexterity

    Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 76%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 72%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 66%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 66%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 65%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 65%

    Handling and moving objects

    Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.

  • 63%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 59%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 56%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 54%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 53%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 48%

    Doing physically active work

    Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.

  • 48%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 47%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 47%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 46%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 45%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 44%

    Checking for errors or defects

    Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

  • 43%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 39%

    Estimating amounts, costs and resources

    Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 71%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 38%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 33%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 29%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 29%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 62%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 57%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 38%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 36%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 33%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 29%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 87%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 87%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 86%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 84%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 84%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 84%

    Wear common protective or safety equipment

    Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.

  • 79%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 77%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 75%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 74%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 74%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 72%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 72%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 71%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 71%

    Bending or twisting your body

    Spend time bending or twisting your body.

  • 70%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 69%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 69%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 67%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 66%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 31-1011.00 - Home Health Aides.


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