Healthcare Assistant
Snapshot
Healthcare assistants work in teams of nurses within the occupational fields of nursing, social care, clinical care and care of people of all age-groups. Healthcare assistants assist in the promotion and restoration of patients' health by providing physical and psychological support to patients, friends and families.
Healthcare assistants work alongside nurses and other healthcare professionals in various settings, including hospitals, clinics, care homes, and community health centers. Your role focuses on providing practical and emotional support to patients of all ages, contributing to their overall well-being and recovery. You'll be involved in assisting with daily living activities, monitoring patient conditions, and communicating important observations to the nursing team. This role requires a blend of practical skills, empathy, and a strong commitment to patient care.
- • Assisting patients with personal care, such as bathing, dressing, and feeding.
- • Monitoring vital signs (temperature, pulse, blood pressure) and reporting any changes.
- • Helping patients with mobility and exercises.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Personal care workers — 16 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus and 14 more.
Longest-running shortage: Belgium, 4 years.
Where it is regulated, your qualification would need formal recognition before you could practise.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $42,260 2025-05 | +2.3% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2025 * | — | +18.5% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2025 * | — | +75% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £24,761 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
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Future Outlook for healthcare assistant
The outlook for healthcare assistant is exceptionally stable. While AI tools will assist with daily tasks, the core of this role relies on human judgment, resulting in a high resilience score of 83%.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could healthcare assistant change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- contribute to continuity of health care
- empathise with the healthcare user
- provide basic support to patients
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- use e-health and mobile health technologies
- identify abnormalities
- monitor basic patients signs
Tasks most exposed to automation
- manage healthcare users' data
- have computer literacy
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Healthcare & Human Services
A typical day as a healthcare assistant
09 09:00 · Morning convey medical routine information
10 10:30 · Mid-morning accept own accountability
12 12:00 · Midday advise on healthcare users' informed consent
14 14:00 · Afternoon comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
15 15:30 · Late afternoon contribute to continuity of health care
17 17:00 · Wrap-up ensure safety of healthcare users
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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inform policy makers on health-related challenges
Provide useful information related to health care professions to ensure policy decisions are made in the benefit of communities.
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advise on healthcare users' informed consent
Ensure patients/clients are fully informed about the risks and benefits of proposed treatments so they can give informed consent, engaging patients/clients in the process of their care and treatment.
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convey medical routine information
Convey routine information to patients, relatives, and members of the public.
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interact with healthcare users
Communicate with clients and their carer’s, with the patient’s permission, to keep them informed about the clients’ and patients’ progress and safeguarding confidentiality.
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follow clinical guidelines
Follow agreed protocols and guidelines in support of healthcare practice which are provided by healthcare institutions, professional associations, or authorities and also scientific organisations.
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adhere to organisational guidelines
Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.
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promote inclusion
Promote and respect diversity, and advocate for equal treatment of genders, ethnicities and minority groups in organisations in order to prevent discrimination and ensure inclusion and a positive environment.
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comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
Apply quality standards related to risk management, safety procedures, patients feedback, screening and medical devices in daily practice, as they are recognized by the national professional associations and authorities.
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comply with legislation related to health care
Comply with the regional and national health legislation which regulates relations between suppliers, payers, vendors of the healthcare industry and patients, and the delivery of healthcare services.
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ensure safety of healthcare users
Make sure that healthcare users are being treated professionally, effectively and safe from harm, adapting techniques and procedures according to the person's needs, abilities or the prevailing conditions.
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work in a multicultural environment in health care
Interact, relate and communicate with individuals from a variety of different cultures, when working in a healthcare environment.
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work with nursing staff
Work together with nurses and other health professionals in supporting the delivery of basic patient care.
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work in multidisciplinary health teams
Participate in the delivery of multidisciplinary health care, and understand the rules and competences of other healthcare related professions.
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educate on the prevention of illness
Offer evidence-based advice on how to avoid ill health, educate and advise individuals and their carers on how to prevent ill health and/or be able to advise how to improve their environment and health conditions. Provide advice on the identification of risks leading to ill health and help to increase the patients' resilience by targeting prevention and early intervention strategies.
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provide health education
Provide evidence based strategies to promote healthy living, disease prevention and management.
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identify abnormalities
Identify what is normal and abnormal concerning the well-being of patients, through experience and instruction, reporting to the nurses what is abnormal.
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monitor basic patients signs
Monitor and analyse basic patient vital signs as vital signs of heart, respiration, and blood pressure. Take action by reporting them to the nurse.
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respond to changing situations in health care
Cope with pressure and respond appropriately and in time to unexpected and rapidly changing situations in healthcare.
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contribute to continuity of health care
Contribute to the delivery of coordinated and continuous healthcare.
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use e-health and mobile health technologies
Use mobile health technologies and e-health (online applications and services) in order to enhance the provided healthcare.
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empathise with the healthcare user
Understand the background of clients` and patients’ symptoms, difficulties and behaviour. Be empathetic about their issues; showing respect and reinforcing their autonomy, self-esteem and independence. Demonstrate a concern for their welfare and handle according to the personal boundaries, sensitivities, cultural differences and preferences of the client and patient in mind.
disability care
The specific methods and practices used in providing care to people with physical, intellectual and learning disabilities.
- disability types
- geriatrics
- older adults' needs
- sterilization techniques
Path to become a healthcare assistant
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Primary education
Regulated in 1 countries on record. Minimum EQF 4.
Reflects the EU regulated-professions database. Not legal advice — confirm requirements with the relevant national authority before relying on this for a career or immigration decision.
2,043 programmes in 25 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 422 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Sataedu · Finland
BSc in Nursing (Intellectual Disability)
Dublin City University · Ireland
Higher Certificate in Science in Health Care
South East Technological University · Ireland
Diploma Paramedical Science
University College Cork · Ireland
Diploma in Health Studies (Intellectual Disability)
University College Cork · Ireland
Healthcare support 5M4339
Gorey Community School · Ireland
These are 6 of 2,465.
Sources
- 1. Source: Opintopolku.fi (Finnish National Agency for Education)
- 2. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does healthcare assistant fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of training or qualifications do I need to become a healthcare assistant?
Can I work as a healthcare assistant in private practice?
What are the key personal qualities needed to succeed as a healthcare assistant?
How much does Healthcare Assistant pay in the United States?
Is Healthcare Assistant a regulated profession?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data