OSCA 4213

Residential Aged Care Workers

Overview

  • Employed persons

    31,200

  • Employment status

    33.3% Full time

    66.7% Part time

  • Median age

    44 years

  • Employment by sex

    87.2% Female

    12.8% Male

    Highly female dominated

  • Indigenous employment share

    1.9%

  • Main employing industry

    Health Care and Social Assistance

Indicator Residential Aged Care Workers Total employment
Employed persons 31,200 12,049,400
Median age 44 years 40 years
Full-time share 33.3% 64.2%
Part-time share 66.7% 35.8%
Female employment share 87.2% 48.5%
Male employment share 12.8% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Highly female dominated Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 1.9% 2.2%
Main employing industry Health Care and Social Assistance Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Residential Aged Care Workers provide general assistance, emotional support, and direct person-centred care for older people residing in aged care homes.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 4
equivalent to a lower‑level Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification (Certificate II or III).

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

OSCA structure

Community and Personal Service Workers (4)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Residential Aged Care Workers Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Health Care and Social Assistance 96.2% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Administrative and Support Services 1.2% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Public Administration and Safety 0.7% Construction 8.9%
    Other Services 0.4% Education and Training 8.8%
    Accommodation and Food Services 0.2% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Construction 0.1% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing <0.1% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Arts and Recreation Services <0.1% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Education and Training <0.1% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Financial and Insurance Services <0.1% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      25.5%

    • Victoria

      30.2%

    • Queensland

      15.4%

    • South Australia

      12.8%

    • Tasmania

      3.2%

    • Northern Territory

      0.4%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      1.1%

    Residential Aged Care Workers Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 8,000 25.5% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 9,400 30.2% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 4,800 15.4% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 4,000 12.8% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 3,500 11.3% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 990 3.2% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 130 0.4% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 340 1.1% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Residential Aged Care Workers

    Total employment

    Age group Residential Aged Care Workers Total employment
    15–24 years 10.3% 14.3%
    25–34 years 21.8% 22.7%
    35–44 years 19.6% 22.3%
    45–54 years 21.4% 20.4%
    55–64 years 21.9% 15.3%
    65–74 years 4.9% 4.3%
    75 years and over 0.2% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Residential Aged Care Workers Total employment
    Female 87.2% 48.5%
    Male 12.8% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    On this page

      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

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      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

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