Community and Social Service · Holland code SCE

Social and Human Service Assistants

Assist other social and human service providers in providing client services in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, or social work, including support for families. May assist clients in identifying and obtaining available benefits and social and community services. May assist social workers with developing, organizing, and conducting programs to prevent and resolve problems relevant to substance abuse, human relationships, rehabilitation, or dependent care.

Also called: Advocate, Clinical Assistant, Social Work Associate, Social Worker Assistant, Addictions Counselor Assistant, Residential Care Assistant, Social Services Aide, Social Services Assistant.

O*NET 21-1093.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $45,930; Middle half earn $38,150 to $54,350. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Bachelor's Degree; 39% 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: +6% · Faster than average; 449,600 jobs in 2024, projected 478,500. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Social and human service assistants".

What the work involves

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

Assess clients' cognitive abilities and physical and emotional needs to determine appropriate interventions.
Develop and implement behavioral management and care plans for clients.
Oversee day-to-day group activities of residents in institution.
Keep records or prepare reports for owner or management concerning visits with clients.
Visit individuals in homes or attend group meetings to provide information on agency services, requirements, or procedures.
Submit reports and review reports or problems with superior.
Assist in locating housing for displaced individuals.
Interview individuals or family members to compile information on social, educational, criminal, institutional, or drug history.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening4.0 / 5
Speaking4.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.8 / 5
Writing3.6 / 5
Critical Thinking3.6 / 5
Monitoring3.6 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.5 / 5
Psychology4.3 / 5
Therapy and Counseling3.9 / 5
English Language3.7 / 5
Administrative3.3 / 5
Sociology and Anthropology3.3 / 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.

Realistic5
Investigative30
Artistic16
Social85
Enterprising44
Conventional60

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)

social counsellor · DE Sozialberater/Sozialberaterin · FR assistant de service social/assistante de service social
gerontology social worker · DE Sozialarbeiter im Bereich Altenhilfe/Sozialarbeiterin im Bereich Altenhilfe · FR assistant social pour personnes âgées/assistante sociale pour personnes âgées
hospital social worker · DE Krankenhaussozialarbeiter/Krankenhaussozialarbeiterin · FR assistant social en milieu hospitalier/assistante sociale en milieu hospitalier
military welfare worker · DE Sozialarbeiter beim Militär/Sozialarbeiterin beim Militär · FR assistant de service social de la défense/ assistante de service social de la défense
social work supervisor · DE Teamleiter im Bereich Sozialarbeit/Teamleiterin im Bereich Sozialarbeit · FR responsable de circonscription d’action sociale
substance misuse worker · DE Sozialarbeiter im Bereich Suchtmittelmissbrauch/Sozialarbeiterin im Bereich Suchtmittelmissbrauch · FR assistant social dans un service de lutte contre les addictions/assistante sociale dans un service de lutte contre les addictions

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Social workers (2461)139,800 employed
Probation officers (2462)11,900 employed
Youth work professionals (2464)10,200 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 “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, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

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 +0.47. 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 (21-1093).

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