Personal Care and Service · Holland code SER

Recreation Workers

Conduct recreation activities with groups in public, private, or volunteer agencies or recreation facilities. Organize and promote activities, such as arts and crafts, sports, games, music, dramatics, social recreation, camping, and hobbies, taking into account the needs and interests of individual members.

Also called: Activities Director, Activity Aide, Activity Director, Recreation Supervisor, Activities Assistant, Activity Assistant, Activity Coordinator, Recreation Assistant.

O*NET 39-9032.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $36,560; Middle half earn $31,780 to $43,470. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 62% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 4 of 5; Considerable preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 327,700 jobs in 2024, projected 341,100. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Recreation workers".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Enforce rules and regulations of recreational facilities to maintain discipline and ensure safety.
Organize, lead, and promote interest in recreational activities, such as arts, crafts, sports, games, camping, and hobbies.
Assess the needs and interests of individuals and groups and plan activities accordingly, given the available equipment or facilities.
Manage the daily operations of recreational facilities.
Administer first aid according to prescribed procedures and notify emergency medical personnel when necessary.
Complete and maintain time and attendance forms and inventory lists.
Explain principles, techniques, and safety procedures to participants in recreational activities and demonstrate use of materials and equipment.
Serve as liaison between park or recreation administrators and activity instructors.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Monitoring3.8 / 5
Critical Thinking3.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5
Writing3.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

English Language4.1 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.8 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.6 / 5
Education and Training3.5 / 5
Law and Government3.4 / 5
Psychology3.2 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic46
Investigative16
Artistic34
Social65
Enterprising59
Conventional41

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

hospitality entertainment manager · DE Bewirtungsmanager/Bewirtungsmanagerin · FR responsable des loisirs
recreational facilities manager · DE Leiter einer Freizeiteinrichtung/Leiterin einer Freizeiteinrichtung · FR directeur d'équipement de loisirs/directrice d'équipement de loisirs
recreational therapist · DE Aktivierungstherapeut/Aktivierungstherapeutin · FR ludothérapeute
sports programme coordinator · DE Koordinator für Sport und Freizeit/Koordinatorin für Sport und Freizeit · FR coordinateurs de programmes sportifs/coordinatrices de programmes sportifs
tourist animator · DE Touristenanimateur/Touristenanimateurin · FR animateur touristique/animatrice touristique
activity leader · DE Animateur/Animateurin · FR animateur d’accueil de loisirs en centre de loisirs/animatrice d’accueil de loisirs en centre de loisirs

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Occupational therapists (2222)56,000 employed
Podiatrists (2256)16,200 employed
Publicans and managers of licensed premises (1223)31,100 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.24. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (39-9032).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test