Can I make ends meet on a disability support worker salary?
Disability support work is one of the fastest-growing industries in Australia. In fact, Jobs and Skills Australia estimates that in the next five to ten years, the Health Care and Social Assistance industry will experience more than twice the growth of any other industry. This makes professions such as support worker particularly appealing to many, as there’s plenty of work on offer. But before making a move into the industry, it’s important to do the numbers and ask – will you be able to pay the bills on a disability support worker salary? The simple answer is “probably, yes”. Currently in mid-2024, according to Jobs and Skills Australia (and seek.com), the average disability support worker salary is around $39 an hour – which translates to around $1,500 for a week of full-time work. That puts it at roughly the same level of pay as carpenters and bartenders, and makes it a very respectable salary. But do many disability support workers actually work full-time? What could I realistically expect in the bank each week? Would it require lots of out-of-hours work that would add extra challenges to the week? And will I really be better off than I am now if I make a move into the industry? Let’s take a quick look at some of the facts of disability support work. Key Takeaways Disability Support worker salaries vary, but the average hourly rate is currently around $39 an hour. The pay rate is on par with many professional roles, and only slightly below the average wage for a university graduate with a bachelor’s degree. This is around $81,000 a year full-time – but most disability support workers don’t work full-time. The average is currently around 22.6 hours a week. Independent contractors can potentially earn more, but generally only once they’re established in the industry and understand the paperwork. Statistically, most people training into disability support end up better off financially. But salary should not be the deciding factor for an industry focused on improving quality of life for people living with disability. Interested in learning more about our Individual Support courses? Get In Touch Today! Contact Our Student Advisor Download Our Broucher So what is a normal disability support worker salary? The hourly rates for a disability support worker vary from around $30 an hour to well above $70, depending on the specific role and the worker’s experience. But overall, the average gross wage is a little under $40 an hour – Jobs and Skills Australia says $39, or $1,564 a week. Seek.com gives a slightly more loose estimate of $35-$40 an hour. Now, if you were working a full 40 hours a week at that rate, that would work out to around $81,000 a year. In Australia, that would be taxed at around 22.7%, so in theory you’d be looking at seeing just over $1200 a week in the bank. Of course, in practice, things are never that simple. In reality, the majority of disability support workers don’t work full time, and working out tax is rarely that simple. But knowing that the general pay rate is around the $40 level lets you know what you could expect to earn and think about how you can make ends meet. How does disability support worker salary compare to other industries? Generally speaking, disability support work does pretty well against other industries in terms of pay rate. $40 a week puts it in a similar category to high-end service workers and the lower end of professional trades – roughly on par with carpenters and chefs. Let’s have a look at where it fits relative to some common careers. Average Incomes of common jobs Job Average Annual Income Average Hourly Income Cleaner $55,000 – $65,000 $25 – $30 Barista $60,000 – $65,000 $25 – $35 Bartender $65,000 – $70,000 $30 – $35 Disability Support Worker $65,000 – $75,000 $35 – $40 Carpenter $65,000 – $85,000 $30 – $50 Chef $70,000 – $80,000 $30 – $35 Accountant $70,000 – $90,000 $35 – $45 Electrician $90,000 – $110,000 $45 – $50 Lawyer $90,000 – $110,000 $35 – $50 Dentist $195,000 – $215,000 $85 – $105 Data collected from seek.com Of course, looking purely at hourly and annual pay rates is just one way to compare the job to other careers. Another way is to compare support work against jobs with an equivalent level of training. Nowadays, disability support workers are normally trained at a Certificate III or IV level – generally having done a Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability) or a Certificate IV in Disability Support. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the average income for someone with Certificate III or IV level qualifications is $1,342 a week. At a full-time weekly rate of $1,564 a week, that means disability support worker salary is only slightly below the ABS average for people with bachelor’s degree level qualifications – $1,578. So not only does it rank with some pretty well-respected careers in terms of pay rate, but it’s hitting well above its weight class compared to jobs with a similar level of training. But again – that’s only looking at a full-time workload. How many hours a week would a disability support worker generally work? The reality is that most disability support workers are not full-time. In fact, a recent report by the NDIS estimated that in 2023, the average time worked by disability support workers had now reached 22.6 hours a week. This is actually an improvement over previous years when COVID-19 caused a severe dip in average weekly hours (like it did in many industries). Although these numbers didn’t account for carers working with more than one employer (increasing their hours by working multiple jobs), it does show pretty clearly that the usual standard for support workers is part-time work, averaging around three days a week. So how do the numbers look in that light? Well… if you’re working 22½ hours at $39 an hour, that’s $877.50 per week,
Are there many disability support worker jobs available around Australia?
You may have been thinking about a career move, and people focused like working as a carer has appealed to you. Or perhaps you’ve seen ads for the training, or heard news stories about the desperate need for disability workers. So now you’re considering the idea of a career change into the disability industry. But before you jump you want to know if there’s actually work available. You want to know that there are disability support worker jobs on offer. The good news is yes – there are plenty of roles on offer in the disability industry. Currently in Australia (that’s mid-2024), there are almost twice as many disability support worker jobs available as there are for carpenters, more than double the number of roles available for plumbers, and around the same number as accountants. But is it going to stay that way? How hard is it to get work, and where can I find it? Is this a wise career move? Let’s take a moment to look at whether moving into disability support is a good idea. Key Takeaways Although the figures fluctuate daily, there are around 7000 disability support worker jobs currently available. This number is expected to climb in future, as one of the fastest-growing industries in Australia. While applying directly is the most common way to secure a disability support role, training also presents other opportunities to land a job in the industry. The availability of work shouldn’t be the reason for seeking out a disability support worker role. But for those looking to make a difference, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. Interested in learning more about our Individual Support courses? Get In Touch Today! Contact Our Student Advisor Download Our Broucher Is disability support work a growth industry? The easy answer is yes. Disability support workers are not only highly in demand, but the demand is steadily increasing – and most experts are saying that the industry is only going to continue getting stronger. In fact, Jobs and Skills Australia reports that the Health Care and Social Assistance industry is expected to see the strongest growth in the next five years of any industry – with an anticipated 257,300 new jobs expected in the next five years. That’s more than double the expected growth of any other industry. Specifically, community and personal service workers are expected to be the type of occupation with the third highest growth. In fact, according to a recent report for the NDIS, the care and support sector is one of Australia’s largest and fastest growing sectors. Seek.com backs this up, showing an expected job growth in disability support worker jobs of 28% over the next five years. For reference, compare this with 8.6% growth for plumbers, and 9.2% for accountants. Practically speaking, all this basically tells us that in terms of ongoing work opportunities, the disability industry is a very safe bet. How many disability support worker jobs are out there? The exact figures of what disability support roles are available fluctuate daily, but at the time of writing, it’s estimated (by seek.com) there are somewhere in the area of 7,000 disability support worker jobs on offer in Australia (6,861 to be really precise). To give some perspective, we can compare this to the current number of job opportunities in other major industries. Nurse – 11,818 Teacher – 10,385 Mechanic – 8,055 Disability Support Worker – 6,861 Accountant – 6,673 Carpenter – 4,344 Plumber – 3,352 Web Developer – 1,341 Although it’s not quite in the same league as teachers or nurses, that puts disability support workers on par with accountants in terms of current job vacancies, and well above many major industries. And for reference, its expected job growth in the next five years (28%) is the strongest of any on that list – with only “Web Developer” coming anywhere near (27%, with the next highest being nurses at 13.9%). That means disability support work is already ranking with the heavyweights in terms of number of jobs on the table, and it’s only going to get stronger. How do you find disability support worker jobs? In many ways, this is the easy part, as recruitment and job-seeker websites have many disability support worker jobs on offer. You’re literally spoiled for choice in terms of where to apply. Of course, just applying for the job is one thing. Getting an interview and landing the position can be rather more complicated than that, and there are many excellent employees out there who still struggle to land a job. Of course, there’s plenty of help out there online as to how to craft an excellent resume or how to do well in an interview. But for disability support jobs, there are also a couple of other options available for people who struggle with interviews. Most disability support workers now do some sort of training for their position – such as a Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability), or a Certificate IV in Disability Support. In addition to providing you with the skills and knowledge for your role, both these courses have a practical placement where you need to spend several weeks working in the disability industry alongside real-life support workers. This gives you an excellent chance to show a potential employer what you’re capable of without worrying about the job application process. And with the high demand in the industry, it’s not unheard of for students to be offered a job during their placement – meaning they finish their course with work already lined up. Also… many training colleges now have employers that visit during course, to recruit potential staff. So even doing your training for a disability support role can be an opportunity to land a role. Will training as a disability support worker improve my chances of finding work? Statistically speaking – yes, it most definitely will. In fact, a 2023 report by Jobs and Skills Australia ranked the Certificate III in Individual Support (the
What qualities does a good disability support worker need?
It’s a growing industry attracting a wide variety of new workers from all walks of life. But like all careers, some people are more suited to it, and others aren’t the best fit. So what are the qualities that set a good disability support worker apart from an average one? In this article we’ll have a look at some of the most valuable attributes a disability worker can have, and why they’re important. Key Takeaways Ten of the key qualities of a good disability support worker are Compassion, Communication, Patience, Empathy, Respect, Adaptability, Trustworthiness, Reliability, Positivity, and Training. It’s important to have the right attitude towards disability – people don’t “have a disability”. They “live with disability”. Disability happens with our society isn’t willing to accommodate someone’s differences. It’s important to start with a genuine desire to make a difference for people living with disability. You can work on the other qualities, but you need to start with compassion. Qualities of a good disability support worker So what are 10 essential qualities a disability support worker needs for their role? They need to have: Compassion – They need to genuinely care about people with disability, and wish to make a real difference in the lives of their clients. Communication – They need good communication to connect with their clients, understand their needs, and help them connect with others. Patience & Resilience – They must be sympathetic and supportive of the difficulties faced by their client, and patient when they have bad days. Empathy & Understanding – They need to genuinely understand and care about their clients, the challenges they face, and the support they need. Respect – They must value clients (and other people), and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve. Adaptability & Flexibility – They must understand each client’s needs are unique and changing, and be ready to adapt and find creative solutions. Trustworthiness & Honesty – They must honour the trust which their clients place in them, and always act with integrity. Reliability & Organisation – They must be on time, ready for work, and fully prepared for their role. Positivity & Encouragement – They must be affirming and encouraging, and help clients build their confidence and achieve their goals. Training & Skill – They must have the skills, knowledge and training to perform their role, care for their client, and meet all their legal obligations. Why are those qualities so important? So why are those qualities so important for support workers? What is it about those attributes that make them particularly important? Let’s take a moment to look at each one and see why it’s valuable. Compassion Compassion is the first quality on the list because it’s where you need to start – it’s about why you’d want to be a disability support worker in the first place. This is not the sort of job you do just to pay the bills – this role is about making a difference in the lives of others. A disability worker spends their day working alongside clients, assisting them with their everyday tasks, and encouraging them towards better independence and greater wellbeing. To do that effectively, it’s important that you genuinely care about the welfare of the people you’re working with – that you want to see their lives improve, and you feel personal satisfaction when you leave them better off at the end of the day. You also need to be willing to think about the person’s long-term benefit – part of your job is moving them towards better independence, and helping them meet their life goals. For that, you need to think beyond the everyday tasks and think about how the things you’re doing today fit into the big picture. That requires more than just helping out with everyday tasks. If you’re working as a carer just to pay the bills and stay in the workforce, there’s a risk that you’ll end up in a “janitor mindset”. That’s when even though your job is fundamentally about people, you see everything they do as creating more work for you. You can quickly end up resenting clients and actively seeking to discourage them from doing new things or changing their routines. And at that point, you become part of the problem rather than part of the solution. That’s why compassion needs to be the starting point. Communication One of the most essential skills needed by any good disability support worker is communication, as it’s vital in almost every part of the job. Communicating with the client You must be able to communicate clearly with clients, making yourself understood, and understanding them in return. You must be able to converse with clients who face significant difficulties communicating and be willing to work hard at understanding what they’re trying to express – without getting frustrated at the extra time or effort needed to do so. This may involve learning unfamiliar ways to communicate or coming up with creative ways to express things that work for the client. You may develop your own ways of communicating – such as simple hand signs for a client to request help. In some cases, you may end up becoming a bridge to help them communicate with others – meaning you need to understand what they’re trying to say. You’ll need to clearly communicate expectations with your client, letting them know what you can and can’t do, when you will and won’t be available, and letting them know when plans need to change. In some cases, you may find yourself dealing with conflict or tension with the client, which can be made more difficult by communication issues. You’ll need to patiently and professionally address their frustrations while keeping good boundaries – so you’ll need good conflict resolution skills. It’s important that you let your client make their own decisions when they wish to, and give them control where possible – so you’ll need to have good communication about what help they do and