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Employment Outlook

Care Assistant

A Care Assistant job is ideal for those who enjoy making a difference in people's lives. They may in some cases be required to work with people who have disabilities, helping them with a range of tasks. Other tasks involve helping families and communities understand their responsibilities. 

 

Average wage for

Employment Levels

Around 141,000 people are currently employed as Care Assistants in Australia. This is set to increase slightly to 167,100 people by 2019, according to the Department of Employment.

Employment by State

25.6% of all Care Assistants are employed in NSW. The area with the lowest number of Care Assistants is NT, with only 1.1%.

Gender Split

This is a very female dominated industry with 18.8% of Care Assistants being male and 81.2% female.

Age Brackets

The most popular age for people working as Care Assistants is 45-54 years old, with 26.1%. A small percentage (6.2%) of people get into this career path younger, aged 20-24. There is also a number of people who enjoy a career as Care Assistants, with 15.4% aged 55-59.

Hours Worked

Care Assistants work an average of 37.5 hours a week which is 3.4 hours lower than the average for all occupations.

Education Level

The majority of Care Assistants have a Certificate III/IV qualification (48.8%) or are at a Year 12 level (12.8%). 72% of people have a Cert III or higher, whilst 28% have a qualification which is Year 12 or lower.

Care Assistant Duties & Tasks

  • Helping client with daily tasks such as washing, dressing, feeding themselves and using the toilet
  • Carry out house work, such as cleaning, laundry and food shopping
  • Work with families to help them understand how they can provide care
  • Organise leisure activities to provide mental stimulation

 

 

*The information provided on this page is from the Department of Employment’s Job Outlook website. All salary ranges are from Payscale. Where jobs are not exact matches, job areas have been used. This information is to be used as a guide only.