[Site name]

Social care worker

Also called care worker, senior care worker, social care assistant

Social care workers provide support and help people with care services. They help people to live full and valued lives in the community. They assist babies, young children, adolescents, adults and older adults.They attend to the psychological, social, emotional and physical needs of service users. They work in a large variety of settings with individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities.

Will there be jobs?Yes, good prospects52 jobs to fill by 2035 for every 100 people doing this work today.Legal, social, cultural and related associate professionalsWhat does it pay?About averageFrom about €1,400 (Bulgaria) to €6,600 (Luxembourg) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Legal, social, cultural and related associate professionalsWhat do I need to study?Usually post-secondary or a short degree4 in 10 have a degree. 3 in 10 train through vocational routes.Legal, social, cultural and related associate professionalsWill AI change it?LittleLevel 2 of 6. AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.Social work associate professionals · ILO

What you'd do

Social work associate professionals · ILO
  • Collecting information relevant to clients‚Äô needs and assessing their relevant skills, strengths and deficits
  • Helping persons with disabilities or the elderly to obtain services and to improve their ability to function in society
  • Assisting clients to identify options and develop plans of action while providing necessary support and assistance
  • Assisting clients to identify and access community resources including legal, medical and financial assistance, housing, employment, transportation, assistance with moves, day care and other referral services
  • Counselling clients living in group homes and half-way houses, supervising their activities and assisting in pre-release and release planning
  • Participating in the selection and admission of clients to appropriate programmes
  • Providing crisis intervention and emergency shelter services
  • Implementing life skills workshops, substance abuse treatment programmes, behaviour management programmes, youth services programmes and other community and social service programmes under the supervision of social work or health care professionals
  • Assisting in evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and programmes by monitoring and reporting on clients' progress
  • Maintaining contact with other social service agencies, schools and health care providers involved with clients to provide information and obtain feedback on clients' overall situation and progress
Assist individuals with disabilities in community activitiesAssist social service users in formulating complaintsEncourage social service users to preserve their independence in their daily activitiesMonitor service users' healthRefer service users to community resources+ 49 more essential skills

Will there be jobs?

Yes, good prospects

Many jobs will need filling by 2035.

People working as legal, social, cultural and related associate professionals in the EU
3.99m3.83m4.95m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035
915,000 new jobs 1,198,000 replacing leavers
Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Legal, social, cultural and related associate professionals52
All jobs29
Right now
6 of 27 countries report a shortage of social work associate professionals, 7 a surplus.
Social work associate professionals · EURES

What does it pay?

About average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,400 a month (Bulgaria) to €6,600 (Luxembourg), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Usually post-secondary or a short degree

Post-secondary training or a short degree in work skills is the usual route.

Highest qualification of legal, social, cultural and related associate professionals (EU, 2025)
Degree 44%Vocational 33%General secondary 15%Basic schooling 8%
Fields that teach it
Work skills · Law
Vocational route, EU
3 in 10 trainees in this field
Business and law graduates in a matching job
66% in the EU

1,314 institutions in the EU offer business and law bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Little

AI could take on part of some tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.33 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 10 tasks
Collecting information relevant to clients’ needs and assessing their relevant skills, strengths and deficits0.55
Assisting in evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and programmes by monitoring and reporting on clients' progress0.50
Assisting clients to identify options and develop plans of action while providing necessary support and assistance0.41
Assisting clients to identify and access community resources including legal, medical and financial assistance, housing, employment, transportation, assistance with moves, day care and other referral services0.36
Participating in the selection and admission of clients to appropriate programmes0.31
Helping persons with disabilities or the elderly to obtain services and to improve their ability to function in society0.27
Implementing life skills workshops, substance abuse treatment programmes, behaviour management programmes, youth services programmes and other community and social service programmes under the supervision of social work or health care professionals0.25
Maintaining contact with other social service agencies, schools and health care providers involved with clients to provide information and obtain feedback on clients' overall situation and progress0.24
Counselling clients living in group homes and half-way houses, supervising their activities and assisting in pre-release and release planning0.21
Providing crisis intervention and emergency shelter services0.18

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for social work associate professionals. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).