Masseur/masseuse
Snapshot
Masseurs/masseuses perform massages to help their clients relax and de-stress according to their preferences. They use appropriate massages, equipment and oils and also instruct their clients on techniques to improve relaxation.
Masseurs/masseuses work directly with clients, providing a range of massage therapies tailored to their individual needs and preferences. This involves assessing client concerns, selecting appropriate massage techniques, and ensuring a comfortable and relaxing environment. You'll be responsible for maintaining equipment, adhering to hygiene standards, and educating clients on self-care practices to enhance their relaxation and overall well-being.
- • Performing various massage techniques (e.g., Swedish, deep tissue, sports massage) based on client needs.
- • Consulting with clients to understand their medical history and desired outcomes.
- • Maintaining a clean and hygienic treatment space, including equipment and linens.
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 service workers — 86 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Hungary and 2 more.
Longest-running shortage: Italy, 4 years.
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 | $58,450 2025-05 | +15.4% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +16.7% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Shortage reported Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | +1% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £15,009 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 masseur/masseuse
The outlook for masseur/masseuse 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 masseur/masseuse 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
- work ergonomically
- give massages
- develop personalised massage plan
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- identify customer's needs
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
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
Hospitality, Events, & Tourism
A typical day as a masseur/masseuse
09 09:00 · Morning develop personalised massage plan
10 10:30 · Mid-morning accept own accountability
12 12:00 · Midday identify customer's needs
14 14:00 · Afternoon apply massage therapy
15 15:30 · Late afternoon communicate with customers
17 17:00 · Wrap-up give massages
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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communicate with customers
Respond to and communicate with customers in the most efficient and appropriate manner to enable them to access the desired products or services, or any other help they may require.
-
maintain personal hygiene standards
Preserve impeccable personal hygiene standards and have a tidy appearance.
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work ergonomically
Apply ergonomy principles in the organisation of the workplace while manually handling equipment and materials.
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give massages
Provide clients with head, hand, neck, facial or full body massages.
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develop personalised massage plan
Determine the massage treatment to be applied based on the medical diagnosis, the prescription plan, and according to the condition of the patient.
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identify customer's needs
Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
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maintain privacy of service users
Respect and maintain the dignity and privacy of the client, protecting his or her confidential information and clearly explaining policies about confidentiality to the client and other parties involved.
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maintain customer service
Keep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requirements.
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manage personal professional development
Take responsibility for lifelong learning and continuous professional development. Engage in learning to support and update professional competence. Identify priority areas for professional development based on reflection about own practice and through contact with peers and stakeholders. Pursue a cycle of self-improvement and develop credible career plans.
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apply massage therapy
Apply massage therapy to relieve patient's pain by using various specialised techniques.
contraindications
The condition under which a normally beneficial treatment can be harmful and have a counterproductive effect on a person's health.
balneotherapy
The use of therapeutic baths to treat a variety of conditions, through relaxation, massage or stimulation techniques. This includes the beneficial properties of mineral waters and mud-wrapping techniques.
cosmetics
The various types of substances used to enhance the appearance of the human body.
electrotherapy
The type of medical treatment using electrical stimulation.
hydrotherapy
The practice used to treat diseases or maintain overall health using water.
shiatsu
The complementary medicine massage therapy which is based on the theoretical framework of traditional Chinese medicine and it is performed by finger massages on clients to reduce their stress and pain according to the shiatsu principles.
- massage theory
- massage types
- cosmetic manicure
- cosmetic pedicure
- energy therapy
- etiopathy
Path to become a masseur/masseuse
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Primary education
The closest officially recognised professional qualification in the Flemish qualification structure:
- Masseur Flemish level 3
A closest match, not an exact equivalent: a qualification is often narrower than the occupation. Source: AHOVOKS, Flemish government (Kwalificatiedatabank), reused under the Flemish Open Licence for free reuse.
420 programmes in 21 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 134 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Otago Polytechnic · New Zealand
Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Sciences with Massage Therapy
Munster Technological University · Ireland
These are 6 of 554.
Sources
- 1. Source: Study with New Zealand (studywithnewzealand.govt.nz), Education New Zealand. Copyright in the material is owned by Education New Zealand (All content (c) Education New Zealand). Listings are provided by the education providers, are for information and promotional purposes only, and are not endorsed by Education New Zealand; each provider is responsible for its own content.
- 2. Source: EHIS (Estonian Education Information System), Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia, open data. Data as at 26/09/2026.
- 3. Source: Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Education), CRICOS, data.gov.au, CC BY 2.5 AU. Data as at 01/09/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 4. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 5. Bron: DUO open onderwijsdata
- 6. Course information from Qualifax (qualifax.ie), Quality and Qualifications Ireland
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does masseur/masseuse 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 personality traits are important for a masseur/masseuse?
Can I work as a masseur/masseuse and be self-employed?
What are the key work styles associated with this role?
Is there a shortage of Masseur/Masseuse in Europe?
How much does Masseur/Masseuse pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 3, 2026 About our data