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Diversional Therapists

ANZSCO ID 4113

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Overview

Snapshot

Employed
6,700
Future Growth
5.1%
Weekly Earnings
$1,234
Full-Time Share
48%
Female Share
91%
Average age
52
About this data

Summary

Diversional Therapists plan, design, coordinate and implement recreation and leisure-based activity programs to support, challenge and enhance the psychological, spiritual, social, emotional and physical wellbeing of individuals.

Also known as: Recreational Therapist.

Specialisations: Activities Coordinator, Activities Officer.

A certificate IV or diploma in leisure and health is usually needed to work as a Diversional Therapist.

Tasks

  • planning and implementing leisure activity programs for individuals in health care and in the community to assist in their social development, and promote their sense of wellbeing

  • identifying individual needs through task analysis

  • evaluating and assessing clients' levels of abilities, interests, needs, strengths and weaknesses, and their ability to carry out a range of tasks and interact with others

  • maintaining a knowledge of resources available within a facility and within the community

  • organising leisure and recreational events

  • assisting with training and supervising volunteers and staff

  • providing information on available support resources within the local community

  • encouraging and supporting clients to take part in activities suited to their particular needs and interests

  • adapting programs to suit individual clients' needs, interests, skills and abilities

Characteristics

Job Type
Community And Personal Service Workers
Skill Level
Medium skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
4113 Diversional Therapists This occupation is Current selected
Unemployment Rate
Above average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Interests
  • Creative
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

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 moderately
  • is likely to reach 1,800 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
5.1%
(or 100 jobs)
From
1,700
in 2021
To
1,800
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 5,800
2012 4,700
2013 4,600
2014 5,000
2015 7,600
2016 3,000
2017 3,900
2018 6,400
2019 5,200
2020 5,400
2021 1,700
2026 1,800

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 42% of people employed as Diversional Therapists work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 24 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 40 hours per week in their main job. This is 4 hours less than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    More than a third of workers regularly work overtime or extra hours (either paid or unpaid).

    Median full-time earnings are $1,234 per week, this is much lower than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,208
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $1,307

    Median hourly earnings are $33, 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. Overtime hours: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, 2021. 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 Diversional Therapists All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,234 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
100.0%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

37.5% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

25.8% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

20.0% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

8.4% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

3.9% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

3.0% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.2% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.2% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Diversional Therapists All Jobs Average
NSW 37.5 31.6
VIC 25.8 25.6
QLD 20.0 20.0
SA 8.4 7.0
WA 3.9 10.8
TAS 3.0 2.0
NT 0.2 1.0
ACT 1.2 1.9


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
52
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
91%
All Jobs Average is 48%

  • The median age of Diversional Therapists is 52 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 91% of the workforce. This is 43 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 Diversional Therapists All Jobs Average
15-19 0.5 5.0
20-24 3.2 9.3
25-34 10.1 22.9
35-44 15.3 22.0
45-54 31.1 21.6
55-59 18.9 9.0
60-64 13.8 6.0
65 and Over 7.2 4.2
Median Age 52 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

A certificate IV or diploma in leisure and health is usually needed to work as a Diversional Therapist.

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 Diversional Therapists All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 3.6 10.1
Bachelor degree 14.1 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 25.9 11.6
Certificate III/IV 40.6 21.1
Year 12 6.1 18.1
Year 11 2.2 4.8
Year 10 and below 7.5 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 Diversional Therapists who are caring, compassionate and empathetic and can communicate clearly with a diverse range of people

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 57%

    Active listening

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

  • 57%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 57%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 55%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 55%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 55%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 55%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 54%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 54%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 54%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 52%

    Monitoring

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

  • 50%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 48%

    Active learning

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

  • 48%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 48%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 48%

    Time management

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

  • 46%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 43%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 41%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.

  • 39%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 86%

    Psychology

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

  • 77%

    Therapy and counselling

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

  • 69%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 64%

    Education and training

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

  • 60%

    English language

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

  • 55%

    Administration and management

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

  • 55%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 54%

    Clerical

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

  • 49%

    Philosophy and theology

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

  • 45%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 43%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 38%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 37%

    Communications and media

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

  • 37%

    Medicine and dentistry

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

  • 36%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 31%

    Fine arts

    Compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • 31%

    Law and government

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

  • 30%

    Transportation

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

  • 28%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 18%

    Telecommunications

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

Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 57%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 57%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 57%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 57%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 57%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 55%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 50%

    Near vision

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

  • 50%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 48%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 46%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 45%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 43%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 43%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 43%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 43%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 43%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 37%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 37%

    Multilimb coordination

    Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.

Activities

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

  • 79%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 77%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 77%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 73%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 71%

    Scheduling work and activities

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

  • 71%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 69%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 68%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 66%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 66%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 65%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 64%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 63%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 63%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 58%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 57%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 57%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 55%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.

  • 52%

    Leading and encouraging a team

    Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

  • 47%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

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.

  • 67%

    Creative

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

  • 52%

    Analytical

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

  • 48%

    Enterprising

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

  • 33%

    Administrative

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

  • 24%

    Practical

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

Values

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

  • 100%

    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.

  • 71%

    Achievement

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

  • 67%

    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.

  • 60%

    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.

  • 57%

    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.

  • 52%

    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.

Demands

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

  • 100%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 98%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 95%

    Contact with people

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

  • 94%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 92%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 91%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 88%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 87%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 84%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 82%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 82%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 81%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 80%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 78%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 77%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 74%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 72%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 72%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 72%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 69%

    Physically aggressive people

    Deal with physically aggressive or violent people.

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, 29-1125.00 - Recreational Therapists.

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