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Advocate, Case Worker / Manager, Clinical Social Worker, Clinician, Community Developer, Counsellor, Evaluator, Health Professional, Mediator, Navigator, RSW, RCSW, Social Policy Analyst, Therapist
In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.
The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used.
Here is how this occupation has been classified over time.
2006 NOC
2006 NOC-S
2011 NOC
2016 NOC
2021 NOC
2023 OaSIS
Social workers promote social change and enhance people’s health and well-being. They help individuals develop problem-solving skills and feel self-empowered. There are many different areas of social work practice that are based upon interest, opportunity, skill, and education. It is not unusual for a social worker to specialize in one area and later apply their social work knowledge, skills, and abilities in another area of social work. Qualifications, specific duties, and client populations vary from setting to setting. Social workers are trusted professionals that help people throughout their lives to collaboratively solve problems and create positive change.
Key duties include:
Some areas of social work include:
Social workers address issues such as poverty and homelessness, improve equitable access to health, justice, and other resources, protect children and seniors, and improve the lives of individuals, couples, families, and communities.
Working conditions vary widely. Social workers often divide their time between direct client contact and desk time completing assessments, case studies, plans, and reports. While social workers are mostly in publicly funded and non-profit agencies, they can also be found in corporate organizations and private practice. Social work is highly collaborative. It often includes indirect work coordinating services with other professionals and community agencies, developing programs, and improving social policy.
Social workers may work a variety of hours: days, evenings, weekdays, and weekends. They may operate virtually or in person. They may work on-call hours for crisis response positions.
Social workers often must travel between multiple worksites, including client homes. Some social workers may be in a role that requires calling on and collaborating with emergency services.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2023 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
To find out how well this occupation fits your work personality types, complete the Work Personalities Quiz in Find Your Fit.
Click or tap a personality type for its description.
Find other alis occupations that match this occupation’s work personalities.
To identify or change your work personalities, complete the Work Personalities Quiz in Find Your Fit.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2023 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
Social workers
2023 OaSIS: 41300.00
The graph below shows how well your scores match the overall abilities for this occupation.
The closer your ability scores are to the center, the more they match this occupation’s. The further away they are, the less they match this occupation’s.
The lower your ability scores are compared to the occupation’s, the more challenging the occupation will likely be for you. The higher your ability scores are compared to the occupation’s, the less challenging the occupation will likely be for you.
To find out how well this occupation fits your abilities, complete the Abilities Quiz in Find Your Fit.
The 49 abilities are grouped into 5 abilities sets: Critical Thinking, Numbers and Patterns, Physical Activity, Mind-Body Coordination, and Senses.
Some abilities are more relevant to an occupation than other abilities. Individual abilities that are not relevant to an occupation are greyed out.
To fill in or change the values for your abilities, complete the Abilities Quiz in Find Your Fit.
Critical Thinking includes 9 abilities related to identifying and solving problems, thinking of ideas, and communication, such as speaking and writing.
This is how well your scores match the set of Critical Thinking abilities for this occupation:
Numbers and Patterns includes 10 abilities related to math, memorizing, and multitasking. It also includes how we perceive patterns, shapes, and distances.
This is how well your scores match the set of Numbers and Patterns abilities for this occupation:
Physical Activity includes 9 abilities related to strength, balance, flexibility, coordination, and endurance.
This is how well your scores match the set of Physical Activity abilities for this occupation:
Mind-Body Coordination includes 9 abilities related to movement control and how we react to signals. It also includes fine motor skills, such finger and hand dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
This is how well your scores match the set of Mind-Body Coordination abilities for this occupation:
Senses includes 12 abilities related to seeing, hearing, and speaking.
This is how well your scores match the set of Senses abilities for this occupation:
Social workers require:
Social workers should enjoy:
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
This chart shows which job skills are currently in highest demand for this occupational group. It was created using this occupation's 88 most recent Alberta job postings, collected between Nov 11, 2021 and Oct 28, 2025.
Review these skills to learn:
| Construction Specialization: Effective interpersonal skills | 47 |
|---|---|
| Construction Specialization: Excellent oral communication | 46 |
| Security and Safety: Criminal record check | 46 |
| Construction Specialization: Dependability | 45 |
| Construction Specialization: Excellent written communication | 44 |
| Attention to detail | 43 |
| Construction Specialization: Organized | 42 |
| Construction Specialization: Team player | 42 |
| Construction Specialization: Client focus | 41 |
| Tasks: Perform administrative tasks | 41 |
To become a social worker in Alberta, graduates must meet the Alberta College of Social Workers’ (ACSW) requirements and qualify with either
In many other jurisdictions, a social worker must have at least a bachelor’s degree of social work. Schools of social work may require a security clearance and may include in-person classes and unpaid supervised practice experience.
Applicants for social work positions often must undergo a criminal record check and vulnerable sector record check. They may also require a valid driver’s license, and their own vehicle insured for work purposes.
The following schools offer programs or courses that are related to this occupation but are not required to enter the field.
To expand or narrow your program options, visit Post-Secondary Programs and start your search with:
Completing a program does not guarantee entrance into an occupation. Before enrolling in an education program, prospective students should look into various sources for education options and employment possibilities. For example, contact associations and employers in this field.
Certain professional titles or duties within this occupation are protected by provincial legislation. Requirements vary if you use these titles or perform these duties.
The related legislation is shown below. If there are multiple related legislations, select a certification heading to learn about each one.
Social workers help individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations develop skills and resources. Their goal is to enhance social functioning and social environments.
Under Alberta’s Health Professions Act [pdf] and the Social Workers Profession Regulation [pdf], social workers must meet identified educational requirements and register with the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Registration is necessary if you wish to provide professional services directly to the public, teach social work practice to ACSW members or social work students, or supervise registered members who provide services to the public. The College authorizes some registered members to perform restricted activities defined in the Regulation. Only registered members may use the protected titles Social Worker or Registered Social Worker. To use the protected title Clinical Social Worker, registered members must meet additional requirements.
For information on what you need and other details, visit the certification profile Social Worker.
Source: 2021-2025 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook
Social workers work for:
Social workers may advance to supervisory or administrative positions based on their level of education and work experience. Some social workers go into private practice in their areas of specialization. With a graduate degree, a social worker can move into post-secondary teaching and research positions.
This section shows the industries where the majority of people in this occupation work. The data is based on the 2016 Census.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.
Social workers
2016 NOC: 4152
86.3% of people in this occupational group work in:
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For examples, see Note.
This section shows the Alberta job market condition, or short-term demand forecast, for this occupation over a 3-year period. It also shows the number of people employed in the occupation.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2021 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.
Source: 2024-2026 Alberta Short-Term Employment Forecast
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For examples, see Note.
To see data for all occupations, visit Occupations in Demand.
This section shows the employment outlook for this occupation in Alberta over a 5-year period.
Employment outlook is influenced by a wide variety of factors including:
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.
Source: 2021-2025 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook
Annual growth is from 2021 to 2025. New positions created each year are in addition to job openings created by employment turnover.
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For examples, see Note.
Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.
Salaries for social workers vary a great deal depending on the employer and the worker’s duties, qualifications, and experience.
There are non-unionized and unionized social work employment opportunities involving more than one union. For information about current collective agreements in the public and not-for-profit sectors, see the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) website for one example.
In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2021 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.
Unless otherwise noted, the data shown here is for all industries and all regions in Alberta.
All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production), and other forms of compensation.
To see the full survey data for this NOC group, visit the wage profile.
Other wage sources
To make an informed wage and salary decision, research other wage sources to supplement this data.
Good Reliability, represents a CV of between 6.01% and 15.00% and/or fewer than 30 survey observations and/or if survey observations represent less than 50% of all estimated employment for the occupation.
| Wages* | Low (5th percentile) | High (95th percentile) | Average | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting | $22.00 | $42.53 | $35.50 | $37.80 |
| Overall | $23.47 | $54.75 | $42.89 | $45.95 |
| Top | $26.20 | $56.50 | $45.91 | $50.26 |
Swipe left and right to view all data. Scroll left and right to view all data.
* All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production) and other forms of compensation.
Pay brackets for hourly wages
| ALL INDUSTRIES | $77,767 |
|---|---|
| Health Care & Social Assistance | $77,581 |
| Public Administration | $84,519 |
Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW) website: www.acsw.ab.ca
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) website: www.aswb.org
Canadian Association of Social Work (CASW) website: www.casw-acts.ca
Social Work Association of Alberta (SWAA) website: www.myswaa.ca
Alberta Association of Black Social Workers (AABSW) website: aabsw.ca
Get information and referrals about career, education, and employment options from Alberta Supports.
Updated Mar 31, 2025. The information contained in this profile is current as of the dates shown. Salary, employment outlook, and educational program information may change without notice. It is advised that you confirm this information before making any career decisions.
