Physiotherapists

ANZSCO ID 2525

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
43,000
Future Growth
28.7%
Weekly Earnings
$1,701
Full-Time Share
61%
Female Share
67%
Average age
35

Summary

Physiotherapists assess, treat and prevent disorders in human movement caused by injury or disease.

Also known as: Physical Therapist.

Specialisations: Aquatic Physiotherapist, Cardiothoracic Physiotherapist, Continence and Women's Health Physiotherapist, Gerentological Physiotherapist, Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, Neurological Physiotherapist, Occupational Health Physiotherapist, Paediatric Physiotherapist, Sports Physiotherapist.

A bachelor degree in physiotherapy is needed to work as a Physiotherapist. Many workers have a postgraduate qualification.

Tasks

  • administering muscle, nerve, joint and functional ability tests to identify and assess physical problems of patients

  • designing treatment programs to address patients' problems

  • treating patients to reduce pain, improve circulation, strengthen muscles, improve cardiothoracic, cardiovascular and respiratory functions, restore joint mobility, and improve balance and coordination

  • using the therapeutic properties of exercise, heat, cold, massage, manipulation, hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, ultraviolet and infra-red light and ultrasound in the treatment of patients

  • reviewing, continually monitoring, assessing and evaluating programs and treatments

  • consulting with other Health Professionals as required about patients' problems, needs and progress

  • instructing patients and their families in procedures to be continued at home

  • recording treatments given and patients' responses and progress

  • developing and implementing screening and preventative health promotion programs

Characteristics

Job Type
Professionals
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Below average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
Interests
  • Practical
  • Analytical
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Light
  • Medium

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 very strongly
  • is likely to reach 42,200 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
28.7%
(or 9,400 jobs)
From
32,800
in 2021
To
42,200
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 16,800
2012 14,900
2013 16,900
2014 21,600
2015 27,000
2016 21,500
2017 28,700
2018 26,400
2019 35,600
2020 24,900
2021 32,800
2026 42,200

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 63% of people employed as Physiotherapists work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is similar to 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).

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

    Median full-time earnings are $1,701 per week, this is higher than the all jobs median ($1,593):

    • 3 in 4 workers earn more than $1,346
    • 1 in 4 earn more than $2,296

    Median hourly earnings are $45, this is more 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 Physiotherapists All Jobs Average
Full-Time Earnings 1,701 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
97.0%
2
Public Administration and Safety
1.2%
3
Education and Training
0.9%
4
Other Services
0.6%
5
Other industries
0.3%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

30.5% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

25.3% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

19.7% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

8.6% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

11.8% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.8% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.6% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.8% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Physiotherapists All Jobs Average
NSW 30.5 31.6
VIC 25.3 25.6
QLD 19.7 20.0
SA 8.6 7.0
WA 11.8 10.8
TAS 1.8 2.0
NT 0.6 1.0
ACT 1.8 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
35
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
67%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Physiotherapists is 35 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 67% of the workforce. This is 19 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 Physiotherapists All Jobs Average
15-19 0.1 5.0
20-24 9.6 9.3
25-34 39.8 22.9
35-44 22.4 22.0
45-54 15.7 21.6
55-59 6.6 9.0
60-64 3.7 6.0
65 and Over 2.0 4.2
Median Age 35 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 bachelor degree in physiotherapy is needed to work as a Physiotherapist. Many workers have a postgraduate qualification.

Registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency is required.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.

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 Physiotherapists All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 32.4 10.1
Bachelor degree 63.8 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 2.6 11.6
Certificate III/IV 0.2 21.1
Year 12 0.9 18.1
Year 11 0.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.0 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 Physiotherapists who are caring, compassionate, empathetic and work well in a team.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 64%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 59%

    Active listening

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

  • 59%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 57%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 57%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 55%

    Critical thinking

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

  • 54%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 54%

    Judgment and decision making

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

  • 52%

    Monitoring

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

  • 52%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 52%

    Time management

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

  • 52%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 48%

    Active learning

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

  • 48%

    Complex problem solving

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

  • 46%

    Learning strategies

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

  • 46%

    Management of personnel resources

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

  • 46%

    Operations analysis

    Understanding needs and product requirements to create a design.

  • 46%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 45%

    Systems analysis

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

  • 43%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 71%

    Education and training

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

  • 70%

    Customer and personal service

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

  • 70%

    Therapy and counselling

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

  • 68%

    Psychology

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

  • 59%

    Medicine and dentistry

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

  • 58%

    Biology

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

  • 57%

    English language

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

  • 49%

    Clerical

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

  • 46%

    Sociology and anthropology

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

  • 45%

    Computers and electronics

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

  • 42%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 40%

    Physics

    The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

  • 39%

    Law and government

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

  • 39%

    Administration and management

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

  • 36%

    Sales and marketing

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

  • 35%

    Public safety and security

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

  • 35%

    Communications and media

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

  • 33%

    Personnel and human resources

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

  • 30%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 24%

    Economics and accounting

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


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 68%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 63%

    Inductive reasoning

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

  • 63%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 61%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 61%

    Problem spotting

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

  • 61%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 61%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 54%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 54%

    Sorting or ordering

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

  • 52%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 50%

    Near vision

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

  • 50%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 48%

    Brainstorming

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

  • 46%

    Flexibility of closure

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

  • 45%

    Manual dexterity

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

  • 45%

    Multilimb coordination

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

  • 45%

    Static strength

    Lift, push, pull, or carry things.

  • 43%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 43%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 43%

    Trunk strength

    Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.


Activities

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

  • 75%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 75%

    Handling and moving objects

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

  • 73%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

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

  • 69%

    Looking for changes over time

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

  • 69%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

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

  • 69%

    Making decisions and solving problems

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

  • 66%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 66%

    Documenting or recording information

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

  • 64%

    Thinking creatively

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

  • 63%

    Doing physically active work

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

  • 63%

    Working with the public

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

  • 61%

    Planning and prioritising work

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

  • 60%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 59%

    Communicating within a team

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

  • 55%

    Collecting and organising information

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

  • 55%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 53%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 52%

    Coming up with systems and processes

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

  • 49%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 47%

    Communicating with the public

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


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.

  • 81%

    Analytical

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

  • 62%

    Practical

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

  • 43%

    Administrative

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

  • 38%

    Enterprising

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

  • 33%

    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.
  • 95%

    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.

  • 81%

    Achievement

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

  • 81%

    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.

  • 76%

    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.

  • 76%

    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.

  • 67%

    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.

  • 100%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 100%

    Contact with people

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

  • 92%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 92%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 91%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 90%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 89%

    Unstructured work

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

  • 89%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 85%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 83%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 83%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 82%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 79%

    Spend time standing

    Spend time standing at work.

  • 79%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 74%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 74%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 72%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 72%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 68%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

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, 29-1123.00 - Physical Therapists.


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