01-Education and social services

ANZSCO 2725Skill level 1Education and social services

Social worker

Support individuals, families and communities through child protection, mental-health, hospital and community-services roles.

Registration: AASW eligibility for membership

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Salary

Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Social Workers (2725) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.

Figure	AUD	Source
Median full-time weekly earnings	$1850	Your Career (2026-09-23)
Graduate starting salary	$85,300	QILT (2026-08-31)

How far does this stretch in each city?

Jobs, demand and who does this work

Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Social Worker (272511), the closest official match for social worker, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).

People employed: 48,900
Future demand: Very strong
Work full-time: 68%
Average full-time hours: 40 a week
Women: 83%
Median age: 39

Where the jobs are (share of workers)

NSW	24.3%
VIC	31.2%
QLD	23%
WA	7.6%
SA	8.5%
TAS	2.5%
ACT	1.5%
NT	1.3%

Highest qualification held by workers

Postgraduate qualification	30.2%
Bachelor degree	51.5%
Diploma or advanced diploma	9.3%
Certificate I-IV	4%
Year 12	2.4%
Below Year 12	1.1%

What a social worker actually does

A social worker's day depends heavily on setting. A hospital social worker starts with a multidisciplinary handover (medical, nursing, allied health) and then spends the day on assessments, discharge planning, family meetings, and coordinating community supports for people about to leave hospital. A child-protection statutory worker (DCJ, DCP, DFFH, DCYJMA) spends mornings on intake or court report writing and afternoons on home visits, sometimes with police present. A community-mental-health social worker mixes case load reviews, home visits, group facilitation and liaison with GPs and psychiatrists. Across all settings expect heavy documentation: case notes, risk assessments, court reports, tribunal reports. Hours are nominally 38 a week, but on-call rosters and after-hours crisis work are common in statutory and hospital roles. The emotional load is real. Most teams have group supervision and individual clinical supervision built in because you will sit with stories of harm, loss and grief most days. Burnout and vicarious trauma are not edge cases in this field, they are the central risk to manage.

Typical tasks

Conduct psychosocial assessments.
Coordinate case plans and supports.
Advocate for clients with services and tribunals.

Skills you'll use

Psychosocial assessment and risk assessment
Case planning and care coordination
Court-report writing and giving evidence at tribunal
Crisis intervention and de-escalation
Trauma-informed practice and reflective supervision
Working with statutory, NGO and clinical systems
Cultural safety with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and CALD clients

How to become one

1Finish Year 12. There are no strict subject prerequisites but English helps and most BSW courses use ATARs in the mid-60s and up
2Complete a 4-year accredited Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), OR a non-cognate degree followed by a 2-year Master of Social Work (Qualifying) accredited by the AASW
3Complete the 1000 hours of supervised field education built into your degree across two placements
4Apply for AASW (Australian Association of Social Workers) eligibility for membership on graduation. AASW membership is not legally required but is the de facto credential for Medicare, hospital and senior roles
5Apply for a Working With Children Check and (where required) a Working With Vulnerable People or NDIS Worker Screening check
6Apply for entry-level roles in statutory child protection, hospital social work, community services or mental health. State governments run graduate intakes
7For Medicare-billable mental-health social work, complete the AASW Accredited Mental Health Social Worker pathway (2 years post-qualifying experience plus continuing professional development)

Where you can work

Public hospitals (NSW Health, Vic Health, Queensland Health, etc.)
State child-protection departments (DCJ, DFFH, DCP, DCYJMA)
Community mental health and headspace
Non-government community services (Anglicare, MercyCare, Wesley, Salvos, Mission Australia)
Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
Veterans' Affairs and Defence community programmes
Private practice under Medicare for mental health social work

Career progression

Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.

Graduate
0-2 years
Typical roles: Hospital social worker, Child protection caseworker, Community services social worker
Senior practitioner
3-7 years
Typical roles: Senior social worker, Clinical lead, Court advisor
Specialist or team leader
8-15 years
Typical roles: Team leader, Accredited mental health social worker, Programme manager
Service leadership or private practice
15+ years
Typical roles: Service manager, Director of social work, Private practitioner with Medicare provider number

Is this for you?

This might not suit you if

You can't put work down at home
You take rejection or hostility from clients personally
You want a job with predictable outputs and clean wins
You can't tolerate paperwork and statutory documentation
You expected high private-sector earnings as the default

Ways in

Uni and TAFE routes for social worker. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

No direct TAFE pathway to this career.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.