- Date:
- 19 Aug 2026
1 Industry snapshot
Health care and social assistance skills and workforce snapshot
Workforce overview
Victoria’s largest employing industry:
- 595,000 people employed
- 15.8% of the Victorian workforce.
Top employing jobs in the industry:
- Registered nurses
- Aged and disabled carers.
Workforce profile
- Predominantly female and culturally diverse workforce
- Higher proportion of workforce is aged 50 or over (33% compared to 29% statewide)
- A higher share of workers hold a higher‑education qualification (56%) compared with 41% statewide.
Projections
Victoria’s top growing industry:
- 90,000 new workers expected by 2028
- Growing at a rate of 2.8% per year to 2028 – higher than the state average
- Social assistance services industry subdivision is expecting the highest share of new workers.
Top growing jobs in the industry are:
- Ageing and disability carers, +14,800 workers by 2028
- Registered nurses, +9,300 workers by 2028.
Regional outlook
Regions expecting the highest share of new workers:
- Melbourne: Inner metropolitan Melbourne and Northern metropolitan Melbourne
- Regional Victoria: Barwon and Gippsland.
Skills demand
The occupations in highest demand in the industry have diverse skill requirements:
- Higher skilled jobs are aligned with higher retention rates and higher median earnings.
Most in-demand industry specific skills:
- Nursing and patient care
- General medicine.
Skills supply
Popular vocational education and training courses:
- Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
- Certificate IV in Disability Support.
Popular university study areas:
- General nursing
- Paramedical studies.
2 Introduction
About the health care and social assistance industry
About these reports
These reports provide a point in time, data-driven overview of the workforce and skills for each industry.
The report does not provide a complete view of workforce dynamics within the industry. Its purpose is to support ongoing efforts to address workforce and skilling demands and to identify opportunities within the health care and social assistance industry.
Report coverage
This report focuses on the health care and social assistance industry and the occupations relevant to the industry, categorised using the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) classification of industries (ANZSIC) and occupations (ANZSCO).
Coverage in this report is limited to employment in the industry and sectors as defined by the ABS, noting some occupations are almost exclusively associated with an industry, such as surgeons in the health services sector, while others, such as accountants, are associated with many industries.
Furthermore, industry classifications rarely encompass the full nature of the work (and therefore skills) associated with a given industry. Therefore, ABS definitions of industries or sectors may not align with the definitions used by an industry association.
Key sectors of the industry
The health care and social assistance industry provides essential care and services for all Victorians. These services ensure that fundamental human needs are met across a range of interconnected areas.
The key sectors within the health care and social assistance industry are:
- Early childhood education and care – includes before and after school care, family day care, kindergarten, long day care, occasional care, and nannying and babysitting
- Community services – includes aged care, disability care, family services and allied health workforce
- Housing and wellbeing – includes homelessness, out of home care, migrant support services, public health prevention, social and affordable housing, youth work, Aboriginal affairs and veterans affairs
- Hospital and medical services – includes ambulance, dentistry, general practice, hospitals, outpatient care, pathology, and diagnostic and public mental health services
- Allied health services – includes audiology, chiropractic, optometry, osteopathy, physiotherapy, pharmacy, psychology and speech pathology.
3 Workforce profile
Health care and social assistance is Victoria’s largest employing industry, with a high share of females and workers with higher-education qualifications.
Employment
Employment by industry in 2025
- 595,000 employed1
- 15.8% Victorian employment share
- 1st share rank.
Employment by industry subdivision in 2025
Industry subdivision | Number of workers |
|---|---|
Medical and other health care services | 182,000 |
Social assistance services | 173,000 |
Hospitals | 164,000 |
Residential care services | 76,000 |
Workforce profile
Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.
Age distribution in 2021
Age profile – industry
Age | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
15 to 24 years | 9% |
25 to 49 years | 58% |
50 years and over | 33% |
Age profile – all industries
Age | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
15 to 24 years | 14% |
25 to 49 years | 57% |
50 years and over | 29% |
Sex distribution² in 2021
Sex distribution – industry
Sex | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
Female | 78% |
Male | 22% |
Sex distribution – all industries
Sex | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
Female | 49% |
Male | 51% |
Highest level of education in 2021
Highest level of education – industry
Education | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
VET | 30% |
Higher education | 56% |
No post-school qualifications | 14% |
Highest level of education – all industries
Education | Percentage of workers |
|---|---|
VET | 30% |
Higher education | 41% |
No post-school qualifications | 29% |
Workforce diversity
First Nations employment in 2021
Group | Percentage identifying as First Nations |
|---|---|
Industry | 0.8% |
All industries | 0.7% |
Working age population | 0.9% |
Speaks a language other than English³ in 2021
Group | Percentage speaking a language other than English at home |
|---|---|
Industry | 29.7% |
All industries | 27.4% |
Working age population | 34.4% |
Needs assistance with core activities⁴ in 2021
Group | Percentage needing assistance with core activities |
|---|---|
Industry | 1.1% |
All industries | 0.9% |
Working age population | 3.2% |
4 Top employing occupations
Registered nurses is the top employing occupation in the industry, with a mostly female, part-time employed, higher education-qualified workforce.
Largest employing occupations within the industry by sex, employed part-time and highest education attainment
Note: Percentages may not add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.
Number employed by sex², ABS Census 2021
Occupation | Number of workers | Percentage male | Percentage female |
|---|---|---|---|
Registered nurses | 63,000 | 11% | 89% |
Ageing and disability carers | 48,000 | 23% | 77% |
Receptionists | 24,600 | 5% | 95% |
Nursing support and personal care workers | 22,500 | 18% | 82% |
Child carers and early childhood educators | 21,200 | 3% | 97% |
General practitioners and resident medical officers | 15,800 | 51% | 49% |
Enrolled and mothercraft nurses | 11,400 | 10% | 90% |
Welfare support workers | 11,400 | 21% | 79% |
General clerks | 8,400 | 10% | 90% |
Physiotherapists | 7,000 | 34% | 66% |
Percentage working part-time in 2021
Occupation | Percentage working part-time |
|---|---|
Registered nurses | 59% |
Ageing and disability carers | 69% |
Receptionists | 72% |
Nursing support and personal care workers | 67% |
Child carers and early childhood educators | 53% |
General practitioners and resident medical officers | 27% |
Enrolled and mothercraft nurses | 65% |
Welfare support workers | 42% |
General clerks | 59% |
Physiotherapists | 37% |
Highest educational attainment in 2021
Occupation | Percentage VET | Percentage higher education | Percentage no post-school qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
Registered nurses | 11% | 87% | 2% |
Ageing and disability carers | 58% | 22% | 20% |
Receptionists | 32% | 20% | 48% |
Nursing support and personal care workers | 57% | 23% | 20% |
Child carers and early childhood educators | 52% | 36% | 12% |
General practitioners and resident medical officers | 0% | 100% | 0% |
Enrolled and mothercraft nurses | 86% | 11% | 3% |
Welfare support workers | 46% | 44% | 10% |
General clerks | 36% | 27% | 37% |
Physiotherapists | 0% | 100% | 0% |
5 Workforce projections
The health care and social assistance industry is projected to have the largest share of new workers by 2028.
Workforce projections: 3-year and 10-year outlook
Workforce projections – industry
Time period | Employment growth | Retirements | New workers expected5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Share | No. | Share | ||
2025 to 2028 | 51,000 | 57% | 38,900 | 43% | 90,000 |
2025 to 2035 | 219,000 | 60% | 144,000 | 40% | 363,000 |
Workforce projections – Victoria
Time period | Employment growth | Retirements | New workers expected5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Share | No. | Share | ||
2025 to 2028 | 143,000 | 38% | 230,000 | 62% | 373,000 |
2025 to 2035 | 650,000 | 45% | 804,000 | 55% | 1,454,000 |
Note: Totals may not sum exactly due to rounding.
New workers expected⁵ by industry subdivision from 2025 to 2028
Industry subdivision | Number of workers | VET | Higher education | No post-school qualifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Social assistance services | 32,700 | 44% | 41% | 15% |
Medical and other health care | 27,700 | 22% | 62% | 16% |
Hospitals | 22,100 | 19% | 70% | 11% |
Residential care services | 7,800 | 46% | 36% | 18% |
Occupations with high new workers expected⁵ with direct TAFE study pathways⁶ from 2025 to 2028
Occupation | New workers expected5 | TAFE pathways into occupation6 | Available under Free TAFE7 |
|---|---|---|---|
Aged and disabled carers | 14,800 | Certificate III in Health Services Assistance | ✓ |
Certificate II in Community Services | - | ||
Certificate III in Sterilisation Services | - | ||
Registered nurses | 9,300 | Higher education qualification required | - |
Nursing support and personal care workers | 3,900 | Certificate III in Health Services Assistance | ✓ |
Certificate III in Sterilisation Services | - | ||
Certificate II in Community Services | - | ||
Child carers | 3,800 | Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care | ✓ |
Certificate IV in School Based Education Support | ✓ | ||
Certificate III in Health Services Assistance | ✓ | ||
Psychologists | 2,900 | Higher education qualification required | - |
Northern metropolitan (within metropolitan Melbourne) and Barwon (within regional Victoria) are expecting the highest share of new workers
New workers expected⁵ for health care and social assistance, by region⁸, from 2025 to 2028
New workers expected – industry
| Employment growth | Retirements | New workers expected 2028 | Share of total new workers expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Industry | 51,000 | 38,900 | 90,000 | 24% |
New workers expected – Metropolitan Melbourne
| Employment growth | Retirements | New workers expected 2028 | Share of total new workers expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Metropolitan Melbourne | 40,900 | 28,500 | 69,000 | 77% |
Northern metropolitan | 8,400 | 5,100 | 13,500 | 19% |
Inner metropolitan | 8,100 | 5,300 | 13,400 | 19% |
Eastern metropolitan | 6,500 | 5,500 | 12,000 | 17% |
Western metropolitan | 7,900 | 3,800 | 11,700 | 17% |
Southern metropolitan | 6,500 | 5,300 | 11,700 | 17% |
Inner south-east metropolitan | 3,500 | 3,500 | 6,900 | 10% |
New workers expected – Regional Victoria
| Employment growth | Retirements | New workers expected 2028 | Share of total new workers expected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Regional Victoria | 10,500 | 10,400 | 21,000 | 23% |
Barwon | 3,400 | 2,500 | 5,800 | 28% |
Gippsland | 1,600 | 1,700 | 3,300 | 16% |
Loddon Campaspe | 1,600 | 1,600 | 3,200 | 15% |
Central Highlands | 1,700 | 1,400 | 3,000 | 15% |
Ovens Murray | 710 | 840 | 1,500 | 7% |
Goulburn | 580 | 790 | 1,400 | 7% |
Great South Coast | 420 | 730 | 1,200 | 6% |
Mallee | 370 | 610 | 980 | 5% |
Wimmera Southern Mallee | 240 | 370 | 610 | 3% |
Note: Totals may not sum exactly due to rounding.
- 77 per cent of new workers expected for the industry will be located within metropolitan Melbourne, with Northern metropolitan and Inner metropolitan with the highest share of new workers
- 23 per cent of new workers expected for the industry will be located within regional Victoria, with Barwon and Gippsland with the highest share of new workers.
6 Top growing occupations
Top growing jobs in the industry have diverse skills requirements, with higher skilled jobs aligned with higher earnings and stronger retention rates.
Occupations with the highest new workers expected within the health care and social assistance industry
Occupations with highest new workers expected5 | New workers expected5 | Skill level9 | Annual median earnings10 | Retention rate11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ageing and disability carers | 14,800 | 4 | $75,374 | 83.3% |
Registered nurses | 9,300 | 1 | $109,174 | 91.9% |
Receptionists | 5,100 | 4 | $60,237 | 78.1% |
Nursing support and personal care workers | 3,900 | 4 | $66,456 | 81.8% |
Child carers and early childhood educators | 3,800 | 3,4 | $59,405 | 84.1% |
General clerks | 3,000 | 4 | $67,860 | 79.1% |
Psychologists | 2,900 | 1 | $98,020 | 89.1% |
Health and welfare services managers | 2,200 | 1 | $102,913 | 86.1% |
Social workers | 2,100 | 1 | $95,794 | 89.6% |
Welfare support workers | 2,100 | 2 | $87,781 | 83.7% |
7 Skills needs
Skills in demand within the industry are changing, with nursing and patient care the most in-demand industry-specific skill.
Industry-specific skill demand
The most in-demand skills are nursing and patient care, general medicine, and health care procedure and regulation. Communication, initiative and leadership, and personal attributes (e.g. right attitude/mindset) are also important, with over 70 per cent of job advertisements within the industry mentioning one or more of these skills.
Most mentioned industry-specific skills in 2024 as a share of job advertisements
Industry-specific skill | Share of job ads |
|---|---|
Nursing and patient care | 23.1% |
General medicine | 19.4% |
Health care procedure and | 17.0% |
Emergency and intensive | 11.2% |
Community and social work | 10.9% |
Home health care and | 7.6% |
Patient education and | 6.9% |
Physical therapy | 6.5% |
General medical tests and | 6.0% |
Obstetrics and | 5.0% |
Growing skills mentions within the industry
Skills increasingly being mentioned in job advertisements within the health care and social assistance industry are occupational health and safety, food and beverage, and infectious diseases.
Note: these exclude industry-specific skills already identified as being in high demand.
Growing skills as a percentage point difference in job advertisement mentions from 2019 to 2024
Industry-specific skill | Percentage of job ad mentions in 2019 | Percentage of job ad mentions in 2024 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
Occupational health and safety | 1.4% | 7.7% | 6.3% |
Food and beverage | 2.4% | 4.5% | 2.1% |
Infectious diseases | 2.4% | 4.3% | 1.9% |
Health information management and medical records | 2.9% | 4.5% | 1.6% |
Recruitment | 0.1% | 1.7% | 1.6% |
Process improvement and optimisation | 2.8% | 4.3% | 1.5% |
Health care administration | 5.1% | 6.5% | 1.4% |
Scheduling | 0.5% | 1.9% | 1.4% |
Billing and invoicing | 1.7% | 3.1% | 1.4% |
Administrative support and clerical tasks | 6.8% | 7.8% | 1.0% |
8 Training activity
Popular courses and study areas linked to this industry include the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (VET) and General Nursing (HE).
Government-funded VET courses⁶
The Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, Certificate IV in Disability Support and Certificate III in Individual Support are among the most popular VET courses in the industry.
Course code | Course name | Available under Free TAFE7 |
|---|---|---|
CHC30125 | ✓ | |
CHC43121 | ✓ | |
CHC33021 | ✓ | |
HLT54121 | ✓ | |
CHC52025 | ✓ | |
CHC43015 | ✓ | |
CHC43315 | ✓ | |
HLT33021 | Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance | - |
HLT43021 | ✓ | |
HLT33115 | ✓ |
Clicking the link will take you to the Victorian Skills Gateway(opens in a new window), where you can find further information about the course, entry requirements, training providers and financial supports available.
University study areas
Popular university study areas aligned with this industry include general nursing, paramedical studies and nursing, not elsewhere classified (n.e.c.).
Field of education (FoE) | FoE |
|---|---|
060301 | General nursing |
069905 | Paramedical studies |
060399 | Nursing, n.e.c. |
060303 | Midwifery |
061309 | Community health |
060311 | Aged care nursing |
060315 | Mothercraft nursing and family and child health nursing |
061305 | Indigenous health |
090507 | Care for the aged |
090509 | Care for the disabled |
9 Appendix 1: Data notes
1. Employed: Refers to the estimated number of workers in the industry (working one or more paid hours per week) at the close of the financial year. The estimate is derived using the average of past observations.
2. Sex distribution: In the 2021 Census, respondents could select 1 of 3 options for the sex question: male, female or non-binary sex. Census data is only available for responses recorded as male or female.
3. Speaks a language other than English: Refers to individuals who use a non-English language in their household. The ABS collects this data through the Census.
4. Workers who need assistance with core activities: Are workers with a profound or severe core activity limitation in one or more areas of self-care, mobility and communication.
5. New workers expected: Refers to the estimated number of people needed to enter the workforce in each industry, occupation or region over a specified timeframe. It combines 2 elements:
- Employment growth – new jobs created as businesses and services expand
- Retirements – workers aged over 50 who are expected to permanently leave the workforce, based on patterns observed in tax and census data.
This figure shows how many new workers may be needed to both fill new roles and replace people exiting due to retirement. These are projections – informed estimates based on past trends, government policy and population forecasts.
6. TAFE study pathways: Refers to government-funded Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses that upon completion, provide a pathway into occupations. These pathways include courses at the same or lower skill level than the related ANZSCO 4-digit occupation or courses at a higher skill level with no barriers to entry such as prior qualifications or prerequisites. VET course pathways reflect funding as of November 2025 and the courses included in the 2026 Training Needs List. Funding for VET courses is regularly updated and is subject to change.
7. Free TAFE: Refers to Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses for which the Victorian Government provides free tuition for eligible students. The Free TAFE list reflects funding as of November 2025 and courses included in the 2026 Training Needs List. Funding for VET courses is regularly updated and is subject to change.
8. Regions: Are groupings of local government areas (LGAs) that align to the Victorian Government’s regional partnerships and former metropolitan partnerships.
9. Skill level: Reflects the level of educational attainment, training or experience needed to perform an occupation’s tasks. Skill levels:
- Skill level 1: Occupations typically require a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Skill level 2: Occupations typically require an associate degree, Advanced Diploma or Diploma
- Skill level 3: Occupations typically require a Certificate III (including apprenticeship) or a Certificate IV
- Skill level 4: Occupations typically require a Certificate III (non-apprenticeship pathway) or a Certificate II
- Skill level 5: Occupations typically require a Certificate I or compulsory secondary education.
10. Median earnings: Is the estimated annual median earnings of full-time non-managerial employees in a selected occupation across Australia, based on ABS data from May 2023.
11. Retention rate: Measures the proportion of workers who remain in the same occupation from one financial year to the next, based on ATO data from 2021 to 2022.
9 Appendix 2: Data sources
Industry snapshot
Workforce overview
Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Workforce profile
- Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025
- ABS, Census, Age in five-year groups by sex, ANZSIC1, 2021
- ABS, Census, Level of highest educational attainment, ANZSIC1, 2021.
Projections
Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Regional outlook
Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Skills demand
Lightcast, ANZ Postings, Victorian Skills Authority's analysis, 2024.
Skills supply
- NCVER, Total VET Activity (TVA) program enrolments, government-funded courses in Victoria, 2015 to 2023, VOCSTATS
- Australian Government Department of Education, higher education student enrolment by 6-digit ASCED Field of Education, 2024.
Workforce profile
Employment
Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Workforce profile
- ABS, Census, Age in five-year groups by sex, ANZSIC1, 2021
- ABS, Census, Level of highest educational attainment, ANZSIC1, 2021.
Workforce diversity
- ABS, Census, Indigenous status ANZSIC1, 2021
- ABS, Census, Language used at home, ANZSIC1, 2021
- ABS, Census, Indigenous status ANZSIC1, 2021.
Top employing occupations
- ABS, Census, Age in five-year groups by sex, ANZSIC1, 2021
- ABS, Census, Industry of employment and labour force status by state, ANZSIC1, ANZSCO4, 2021
- ABS, Census, Level of highest educational attainment, ANZSIC1, 2021.
Workforce projections
- Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Top growing occupations
Employment
Victorian Skills Authority, Total new workers expected modelling, based on DJSIR employment projections, 2025.
Skill level
ABS, Census, Occupation skill level (OCSKP), ANZSCO4, 2021.
Annual median earnings
ABS, Survey of employee earnings and hours, May 2023.
Retention rate
Australian Taxation Office, Occupation transition 2010 to 2011 to 2021 to 2022 income years.
Skills needs
- Lightcast, ANZ Postings, Victorian Skills Authority's analysis, 2024 and 2019 to 2024.
Training activity
- NCVER, Total VET Activity (TVA) program enrolments, government-funded courses in Victoria, 2015 to 2023, VOCSTATS
- Australian Government Department of Education, higher education student enrolment by 6-digit ASCED Field of Education, 2024.