Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapists help people build or regain the skills they need for everyday activities, from getting dressed to returning to work.
- Median salary
- $99,500
4.4%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 35,600
3.5%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +33.1%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- 3 out of 10
- Average hours
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
- You could work on a hospital ward, in an aged care home, at a school, in a disability service, in mental health or in private practice.
- Where physiotherapy works on movement and strength, occupational therapy works on what someone can do with those abilities at home, at school or at work.
- To practise you need an accredited degree and registration with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia, which you renew each year with continuing professional development.
How much do occupational therapists earn?
The median full-time salary for an occupational therapist is $99,500 per annum, before tax, up $21,000 since 2018.
Full-time pay for occupational therapists is set mostly by the agreement you're employed under. Public hospital and health department jobs follow enterprise agreements with defined increments, while private practice and NDIS-funded providers vary more from one employer to the next. If you're comparing two private practice jobs, ask how billings are split, whether travel between clients is paid, and whether your professional development allowance sits on top of the salary.
What does an occupational therapist do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Assessing how someone really manages a task such as showering, cooking or getting dressed, in their own home or on the ward
- Working out practical fixes, from a grab rail in the bathroom to a different way of holding a pen at school
- Teaching a family member or carer to support someone safely without taking the task over
- Fitting and adjusting equipment such as wheelchairs, seating and aids, then checking months later that it still works
- Writing progress notes and funding reports for schemes such as the NDIS, which often stretch past the end of a shift
What skills do occupational therapists need?
Employers look for clinical assessment and treatment, care planning and coordination, patient care and support, backed by Standardised Assessment of Occupational Function (SAOF) fluency and strong problem solving.
Specialist skills
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Care planning and coordination
- Patient care and support
- Health education and advice
Software and tools
- Standardised Assessment of Occupational Function (SAOF)
- Electronic Health Records (EHR)
- Adaptive equipment and assistive devices
- Occupational therapy software (e.g., Citrix, SNOMED)
General skills
- Problem solving
- Written communication
- Stakeholder management
- Attention to detail
Is the job growing?
About 35,600 people work as occupational therapists in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 33.1% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become an occupational therapist?
Here's the path most occupational therapists take, step by step.
- 1Complete an accredited degree
A Bachelor of Occupational Therapy takes four years, and a two-year master's is the faster route if you already hold a degree. Check that the course is accredited with the Occupational Therapy Council of Australia before you enrol.
- 2Register with AHPRA
The Occupational Therapy Board of Australia, under AHPRA, handles registration. You can't work as an occupational therapist without it, and you renew each year with continuing professional development.
- 3Start in a role with structured supervision
New graduates usually begin in a hospital rotation, community health or paediatrics, where a senior therapist reviews their work through the first year. Ask how much supervision a service provides, because it varies by employer.
- 4Build a specialty
Hand therapy, neurological rehabilitation, paediatrics, mental health and aged care all reward extra training, often through short courses or a postgraduate certificate you can fit around work.
Study routes we have checked
Qualifications that are a recognised way into this role, and what else you need.
- Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
A recognised route into this role
Complete an approved occupational-therapy programme, including practice education, and obtain professional registration. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Bachelor of Science (Occupational Therapy)
A recognised route into this role
Complete an approved occupational-therapy programme, including practice education, and obtain professional registration. This catalogue groups awards: verify the chosen provider, programme and intake; the family-level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
- Master of Occupational Therapy
A recognised route into this role
Complete an approved occupational therapy program, including practice education, and obtain professional registration. The degree alone does not confer registration. Check the chosen provider, program and intake; the family level link is not confirmation that every offering is approved.
Ready to apply as an occupational therapist?
Whether you're working toward becoming an occupational therapist or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can an occupational therapist move to?
Moving into University Lecturer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $52,500 a year more on average.
- University LecturerRecorded move$152,000+$52,500
- Work Health and Safety OfficerRecorded move$118,800+$19,300
- Play TherapistRecorded move$83,200−$16,300
- Art TherapistRecorded move$78,000−$21,500
Thick lines are moves people were recorded making in Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility (income tax records, 2011-12 to 2020-21). Thin lines are moves we suggest from skill overlap and entry requirements.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
University Lecturer Occupational therapists with clinical and research experience can move into university lecturing, requiring further postgraduate study.Known move | +$52,500 | 3% | requalify |
Work Health and Safety Officer Occupational therapists bring functional assessment and return-to-work knowledge to work health and safety, needing a short course.Known move | +$19,300 | 16% | short course |
Play Therapist Occupational therapists use play-based intervention and child development knowledge in play therapy, requiring a short course.Known move | −$16,300 | 60% | short course |
Art Therapist Occupational therapists bring therapeutic activity analysis and client-centred goal setting to art therapy, needing minimal further training.Known move | −$21,500 | 70% | minimal |
Injury Management Coordinator Occupational therapists apply injury rehabilitation and workplace assessment skills to injury management coordination, adding a short course. | −$39,700 | 17% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as an occupational therapist?
The typical occupational therapist is 33 years old; 92% are women, 63% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 33
- Median age
- 92%
- Female share
- 63%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being an occupational therapist?
Your week mixes appointments with paperwork, and the balance changes with where you work: a hospital rotation moves between wards in a day, while community work means driving between clients' homes and writing up notes afterwards. You'll follow some clients for months, which many therapists find the most satisfying part of the role, but progress can be slow and you'll often be the one explaining why. Caseload targets and funding deadlines create the pressure, and if you enjoy working out why a task is hard for someone and finding a workaround they'll actually use, the problem solving will keep you interested. If you need quick results, the pace can wear you down.
What people like
- Seeing a plan work. Someone managing a shower on their own, or walking back into their job after months off, is a concrete result, and you worked out how to get them there.
- A caseload that changes. One week can include a child learning to write, an adult recovering from a stroke and an older person who wants to stay in their own home, so the clinical thinking stays varied.
- You can change settings. Hospitals, schools, aged care, mental health services and private practice all hire occupational therapists, and moving between them is a realistic way to change your working conditions without leaving the profession.
- Longer relationships with clients. Therapy usually runs over weeks or months, so you watch progress build instead of treating someone once and moving on.
What people find hard
- Reports take real time. NDIS and insurer reports have to justify each hour of therapy and every piece of equipment, and the writing often happens after hours.
- Progress can be slow. Rehabilitation after a serious injury is measured in small gains, and you'll work with some clients who won't recover the function they had.
- Time in the car. Community and mobile roles mean driving between appointments, and whether that travel is paid depends on the employer.
- The emotional load. You sit with people on the day they learn their life has changed, and not carrying that home takes practice and good supervision.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ occupational therapists?
Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of occupational therapists.
Top employing industries
- 1Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 71% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 26.5% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 0.8% | |
| Year 12 or below | 0.7% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 0.2% |
Will AI replace occupational therapists?
Low exposure. Unlikely. AI will change some of the work around this job, not the job itself.
Most of what an occupational therapist does is hard to automate, because the assessment happens with a person in their own home, ward or classroom. Software already drafts report templates, scores standardised assessments and manages rostering, and it will take on more of the writing over time, but it can't watch someone make a cup of tea and spot why it's difficult. Starting out now, get comfortable with the reporting and telehealth systems your employer uses, and put your effort into clinical reasoning and hands-on assessment.
How a typical week splits
- Report writing and funding applications25% of the week
NDIS and insurer reports follow set templates, which software can partly draft, though the reasoning behind each recommendation is still yours.
- Equipment prescription and home modifications20% of the week
Measuring a doorway for a wheelchair or checking the height of a shower chair has to happen on site, then be adjusted after the client has used it.
- Assessing how a client manages daily tasks35% of the week
Watching someone make a cup of tea in their own kitchen tells you things no questionnaire does, and no system can stand in for that visit.
- Therapy sessions and coaching20% of the week
A session is a back-and-forth with someone who is tired or frustrated, and you change the plan as they improve.
How we work this out
We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.
Common questions about becoming an occupational therapist
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do occupational therapists earn?
Occupational therapists earn a median of $99,500 per year before tax. Public health enterprise agreements pay by increment, while private practice and NDIS-funded providers vary more, so it's worth checking what a package includes beyond the base figure.
How do you become an occupational therapist?
You need an accredited degree, either a four-year bachelor or a two-year master's if you already have a degree, then registration with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia. Master's places are competitive, so check the entry requirements against your undergraduate results before you apply.
Are occupational therapists in demand?
Occupational therapists are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 33.1% over the decade to 2035. When you're applying, ask what supervision and caseload support a service provides, because those differ a lot between employers.
Will AI replace occupational therapists?
AI is taking on more of the writing, not the therapy. Report templates, standardised assessment scoring and rostering all run through software now, but the visit itself, reading how someone moves through their own kitchen, is still the therapist's job. Learn the reporting and telehealth systems your employer uses and keep building your clinical reasoning.
What can occupational therapists move into?
Work health and safety, injury management and art or play therapy are common moves, since the functional assessment and goal setting carry over and usually only a short course is needed. Some therapists set up their own practice in paediatrics, hand therapy or medico-legal assessment instead, which means building a referral network, handling your own billing and accepting a variable income while the caseload builds. Lecturing at a university is another option for those who take on further postgraduate study.
Related roles
- Work Health and Safety Officer
- Injury Management Coordinator
- Art Therapist
- Play Therapist
- University Lecturer
- Disability Support Worker
Not sure this is you? Take the career quiz and get a ranked shortlist of roles that fit how you like to work.
Career advice
- The most useful degrees in Australia, by graduate outcomesGraduate employment rates and starting salaries for every study area, from the 2025 Graduate Outcomes Survey, plus which professions are in shortage.
- Salary sacrificeSalary sacrifice is an agreement with your employer to give up part of your future pre-tax pay in exchange for benefits of similar value, such as extra super, a car through a novated lease, or everyday expenses if you work for a charity or public hospital.
- How to change careers, and which moves are realisticData on 1,573 career moves across 350 Australian occupations shows 63.3% need no more than a short course, though skill overlap alone won't tell you which ones. Six worked examples, and how to check your own move.