Aged care jobs in Australia: roles, pay, and how admin workers move across
8 min read
Aged care jobs in Australia: 186,000 workers and a sector that needs more
According to the ABS Labour Force data (May 2026), 186,000 people work as aged care workers in Australia. Demand is growing through 2030. Providers need more people. They are looking at workers from admin, call centre, customer service, and claims backgrounds.
If you are in one of those seats and wondering whether aged care is a realistic move, this page gives you the facts: what the roles are, what they pay (where a government source says so), and which skills carry across.
Before you read further, run the free Career Change Check. It shows Australian roles that people from your kind of work have moved into, and the skills you already have for each one. It takes about three minutes.
Why admin workers are a good fit for aged care
Aged care is not just hands-on personal care. The sector runs on coordination, compliance, scheduling, record keeping, and communication. Those are exactly the things that call centre operators, medical receptionists, office administrators, and hospital admin officers do every day.
The sector also has a paperwork problem. New rules under the Aged Care Act have added compliance and reporting requirements. Providers need people who can manage records, talk to families, and coordinate services. That is an admin skill set, not a nursing skill set.
You do not need a nursing degree to work in aged care. You do need patience, organised thinking, and the ability to communicate with people who are stressed or vulnerable.
The main aged care roles and what they pay
Aged care worker
This is the frontline role: personal care, meals, mobility support, and companionship. According to ABS Labour Force data (May 2026) and the Aged Care Workforce Strategy, the salary band is A$52,000 to A$68,000. Employment sits at 186,000 nationally. The Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) 2025 outlook rates this as strong growth.
This role suits people who want direct contact with residents. It is not a desk job. If you are coming from a call centre or admin background, this is a bigger lifestyle change than the coordination roles below.
Home care worker
Similar to the aged care worker role but delivered in clients' homes. The ABS Labour Force data (May 2026) and the Aged Care Workforce Strategy put the salary band at A$50,000 to A$65,000, with 98,000 people in the role nationally. The JSA 2025 outlook flags a severe workforce shortage expected to persist through 2030.
Aged care manager
This is the leadership role. You oversee operations, manage staff, and carry regulatory accountability under the Aged Care Act. According to ABS Labour Force data (May 2026) and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, the salary band is A$90,000 to A$130,000. Employment sits at 8,400 nationally. JSA 2025 rates this as strong growth.
This role is realistic for people with office management, practice management, or operations coordination experience. You would likely need a few years in the sector first, but it is a clear progression path.
Health services coordinator
This role coordinates patient or resident pathways across community and acute services. According to JSA Outlook 2025, the salary band is A$78,000 to A$102,000, with 8,900 people employed nationally. JSA 2025 rates this as moderate growth, driven by National Health Reform.
For an admin worker with experience in scheduling, multi-party coordination, or hospital administration, this is one of the more direct moves available.
Medical practice manager
Not strictly aged care, but many aged care providers run primary health clinics alongside residential facilities. According to ABS Labour Force data (May 2026), the salary band is A$85,000 to A$120,000, with 12,600 people in the role. JSA 2025 rates this as moderate growth.
Office administrators, medical receptionists, and hospital admin officers are the most common people in this role.
Which admin roles transfer most cleanly
Here is a plain summary of the pathways the data supports.
From medical receptionist: The skills are clinical software (Best Practice, Medical Director), Medicare billing, patient communication, and appointment management. The pathway data shows a medium-difficulty move to medical practice manager, typically taking 2 to 4 months to reposition.
From hospital administration officer: Skills in clinical data handling, multi-department coordination, health information systems, and patient flow management map directly to health services coordinator roles. The pathway data shows a medium-difficulty move, typically 2 to 3 months.
From office administrator: Skills in scheduling, vendor coordination, document management, and multi-stakeholder communication translate to operations coordinator roles within aged care providers, and with some sector exposure, to medical practice manager. Medium difficulty, 2 to 4 months.
From receptionist: People-first communication, appointment coordination, record keeping, and patience with difficult situations map to NDIS support coordination and health admin roles. Medium difficulty, 3 to 4 months.
From call centre or customer service: Information gathering, documentation, de-escalation, and regulated process-following are valued in aged care coordination and support roles. Medium difficulty, 2 to 4 months depending on the destination role.
What about NDIS coordination?
NDIS and aged care overlap more than most people realise. Some providers run both. Some participants are elderly. The coordination skills are similar.
According to the NDIS Workforce Strategy 2025, NDIS support coordinators number 21,000 nationally, with a salary band of A$72,000 to A$92,000. JSA 2025 rates this as strong growth across all Australian states.
If aged care appeals because of the human-centred work, NDIS coordination is worth considering alongside it. The NDIS support coordinator career change page covers the specifics.
What training do you actually need?
For frontline aged care work, a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) is the standard entry qualification. For coordination and management roles, the qualification requirements vary by employer and role.
Verify current options at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) Free TAFE page: https://www.dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe. Some states fund Certificate III in Individual Support at no cost. Check your state's current offerings, as availability changes each year.
For a broader search of accredited courses, use https://www.yourcareer.gov.au.
For coordination and management roles, many employers value sector experience and demonstrated admin competence over formal qualifications. A strong resume that translates your existing skills into aged care language matters more than an additional certificate in many cases.
The honest picture on pay
Frontline aged care pay is not high. A$52,000 to A$68,000 for aged care workers is comparable to what many admin and call centre workers already earn. The move is not primarily a pay move at the frontline level.
The pay case improves as you move into coordination and management. Health services coordinators sit at A$78,000 to A$102,000 (JSA Outlook 2025). Aged care managers sit at A$90,000 to A$130,000 (ABS Labour Force May 2026, Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission). Medical practice managers sit at A$85,000 to A$120,000 (ABS Labour Force May 2026).
The sector also offers job security that is harder to find in call centre and basic admin work. According to ABS Labour Force data (May 2026), call or contact centre operators number 196,500 nationally, and the JSA 2025 outlook describes the role as highly exposed to AI-driven automation and voicebots. Aged care worker and manager roles sit at the opposite end of that spectrum.
How to position your resume for aged care
The gap most admin workers face is not skills. It is language. Aged care job descriptions use terms like person-centred care, dignity and respect, duty of care, and mandatory reporting. Your resume needs to show you understand those concepts, even if you have not used those exact words before.
A few things that help:
- Reframe customer service experience as client-facing communication with vulnerable or distressed people.
- Highlight any experience with compliance, documentation, or regulated processes.
- If you have done any volunteering with older people, include it.
- Get a WWCC (Working with Children Check) or police check sorted early. Many providers require them before interview.
The twelve-week Sprint at A$299 includes up to three coach reviews of a targeted resume or an application pack, plus unlimited messages to the coach. It is built for people making exactly this kind of move, where the skills are there but the translation onto paper is the problem.
Where to start
If aged care looks like a real option, the logical first step is to understand which specific roles match your current skill set. The free Career Change Check does that. It shows Australian roles people from your kind of work moved into, and the skills you already have for each one.
From there, the health admin courses guide and the health admin roles explainer give you the detail on specific moves.
The sector is short of people. The demand is real. The question is which role fits your background and what the move actually involves.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a nursing qualification to work in aged care in Australia?
No. Frontline aged care worker roles typically require a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing), not a nursing degree. Coordination, administration, and management roles within aged care providers often value admin experience and sector knowledge over clinical qualifications. Verify current training options at https://www.dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe and https://www.yourcareer.gov.au.
What do aged care jobs pay in Australia?
Pay varies by role. According to ABS Labour Force data (May 2026) and the Aged Care Workforce Strategy, frontline aged care workers earn A$52,000 to A$68,000. According to ABS Labour Force data (May 2026) and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, aged care managers earn A$90,000 to A$130,000. According to JSA Outlook 2025, health services coordinators earn A$78,000 to A$102,000.
Can someone with a call centre or admin background move into aged care?
Yes. Skills in documentation, multi-party coordination, regulated process-following, and communication with distressed or vulnerable people transfer directly to aged care coordination and administration roles. The main work is translating those skills into aged care language on your resume.
Is aged care a growing sector in Australia?
Yes. According to ABS Labour Force data (May 2026) and the Aged Care Workforce Strategy, there are 186,000 aged care workers nationally and demand is growing through 2030. The Royal Commission reforms have increased compliance and coordination requirements, which is creating additional roles beyond frontline care.
How long does it take to move from an admin role into aged care?
For coordination and admin roles within aged care providers, the pathway data shows a repositioning period of 2 to 4 months, which covers updating your resume, completing any required checks (police check, WWCC), and working through applications. Frontline care roles may require a Certificate III, which adds training time depending on the delivery mode and your state.
This is general information, not professional career, financial, or legal advice. For tailored advice, consult a qualified career counsellor, financial adviser, or relevant Australian professional service.
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