Overview
EMPLOYED
2,409,000
PART-TIME SHARE
43%
WORKFORCE SHARE
16.3%
FEMALE SHARE
76%
MEDIAN WEEKLY EARNINGS
$1,689
MEDIAN AGE
40
Health Care and Social Assistance is the largest employing industry. Around 16.3% of workers have their main job in this industry.
This industry covers services like:
- hospitals
- general and specialist medical services
- pathology and diagnostic imaging services
- dental and allied health care
- ambulance services
- child care
- aged and residential care.
Median earnings are $1,689 per week, lower than all industries median earnings of $1,741.
Details
On this page
Employment
Employment in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry grew over the 20 years to February 2026.
The number of workers grew by 95,000 (or 4.1%) over the last year.
| Quarterly employment, Health Care and Social Assistance | Employment |
|---|---|
| 1028200 | |
| 1040500 | |
| 1049200 | |
| 1055900 | |
| 1062200 | |
| 1068500 | |
| 1075000 | |
| 1082600 | |
| 1091200 | |
| 1100800 | |
| 1113400 | |
| 1130900 | |
| 1151700 | |
| 1171500 | |
| 1186900 | |
| 1198100 | |
| 1210300 | |
| 1225600 | |
| 1243300 | |
| 1260100 | |
| 1275100 | |
| 1289600 | |
| 1305300 | |
| 1320100 | |
| 1332200 | |
| 1342600 | |
| 1352400 | |
| 1361000 | |
| 1368000 | |
| 1373000 | |
| 1377400 | |
| 1382400 | |
| 1386700 | |
| 1392100 | |
| 1402500 | |
| 1420300 | |
| 1445800 | |
| 1473300 | |
| 1498300 | |
| 1517300 | |
| 1530200 | |
| 1540400 | |
| 1549100 | |
| 1562000 | |
| 1581700 | |
| 1608800 | |
| 1634600 | |
| 1653900 | |
| 1666800 | |
| 1674500 | |
| 1680300 | |
| 1686500 | |
| 1694900 | |
| 1707000 | |
| 1722900 | |
| 1737200 | |
| 1746100 | |
| 1751100 | |
| 1759500 | |
| 1773500 | |
| 1797100 | |
| 1830500 | |
| 1871700 | |
| 1918800 | |
| 1968300 | |
| 2012700 | |
| 2051200 | |
| 2085600 | |
| 2118000 | |
| 2148100 | |
| 2175500 | |
| 2202300 | |
| 2225200 | |
| 2245500 | |
| 2264400 | |
| 2286900 | |
| 2314000 | |
| 2340800 | |
| 2362300 | |
| 2383700 | |
| 2409000 |
Sectors
Hospitals is the largest sector in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry, employing 645,000 workers.
| Employment by industry sectors | Employment |
|---|---|
| Hospitals | 645000 |
| Other Social Assistance Services | 543700 |
| Allied Health Services | 337800 |
| Residential Care Services | 293100 |
| Medical Services | 239500 |
| Child Care Services | 176300 |
| Pathology and Diagnostic Imaging Services | 71400 |
| Other Health Care Services | 62200 |
Occupations
Aged and Disabled Carers is the largest employing occupation in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry.
The 10 largest employing occupations are shown below.
Some occupations are common across a number of industries.
Largest employing occupations
| ANZSCO Code | Occupation title |
|---|---|
| 4231 | Aged and Disabled Carers |
| 2544 | Registered Nurses |
| 4211 | Child Carers |
| 4233 | Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers |
| 5421 | Receptionists |
| 2531 | General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers |
| 4117 | Welfare Support Workers |
| 1342 | Health and Welfare Services Managers |
| 5311 | General Clerks |
| 2525 | Physiotherapists |
Data Downloads
Industry data
This file contains data for all 19 industries to make comparing industry data easy. Information available includes:
- industry overview
- industry employment (20-year time series)
- industry sector employment
- top employing occupations by industry.