Australian Education Pathways

Counsellors

University degree Strong growth · ANZSCO skill level 1 · occupation 2721

Counsellors provide information on vocational, relationship, social and educational difficulties and issues, and work with people to help them to identify and define their emotional issues through therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy, interpersonal therapy and other talking therapies.

People employed40,100
Median pay$2,154per week, full-time
Projected growth+13%over 5 years (to 2030)
Recent growth+7%per year
Median age44
Female share79%

How do you get there?

Highest qualification held by people in this job: 72.9% university · 19.2% vet / tafe · 6% school / entry (ABS Census via JSA).

Usually studied as Human Welfare Studies. A selection of providers offering courses in this field (indicative, not ranked):

Course & field-of-education data © Commonwealth of Australia (CRICOS), CC BY 2.5 AU. Matched by field of education — indicative; confirm entry requirements with each provider.

Where these jobs are

QLD 29.9% · VIC 26.5% · NSW 25% · SA 8.2% · WA 5.7% · NT 1.9% · ACT 1.4% · TAS 1.3%

Top industries

Health Care and Social Assistance · Education and Training · Public Administration and Safety.

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia — Occupation profiles (Feb 2026) + Employment Projections (May 2025–2035). © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0. Figures are national estimates.