Carer roles already employ about 370,000 people around the country, and the projection carries that up 18.1% over the decade, which adds about 67,000 people to the count by 2035. Community worker numbers are smaller at about 96,500, and that line is projected up 11.9% over the decade. Neither occupation is labelled mental health on paper, and that is worth understanding. The work sits inside broader community and care roles, so their growth is the growth behind this job. Ten year projections describe whole occupations, and they can't speak to any single application you send.
The 2025 shortage list treats the two occupations differently. Carer roles are recorded in national shortage, which means employers report genuine difficulty filling them. Community worker roles carry no shortage rating at all, so those get filled from the applicants who already come forward. For mental health work specifically, the second picture is the more relevant one. What tends to matter is the specialist qualification and any supervised hours you have behind you. Employers in this space are careful about who they put in front of vulnerable clients, and they hire accordingly.
Two Cert IVs sit below, and they split by specialty rather than by level. One of them covers mental health and the other covers alcohol and other drugs. Open Colleges delivers both with supervised placement attached. The register records a broader starting point for these occupations. That one is the Certificate III in Individual Support, and the register codes it CHC33021. It drew 101,140 enrolments in 2025. That certificate is the general care qualification most people hold, and the recognised ladder around it runs to 34 qualifications. If mental health is where you actually want to work, the specialist Cert IV tends to be the more direct route. Plenty of people take it that way.
Compare what each one covers, then enquire on the one that fits you. The provider sorts out the details with you directly.
Make a difference in addiction recovery with the CHC43215 Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs.
Embark on a fulfilling mental health career with the CHC43315 Certificate IV in Mental Health.
What does a mental health support worker actually do?
They work alongside people living with mental illness rather than treating them. That means practical help with housing, appointments, daily routines and crisis planning, and it means a lot of listening. The alcohol and other drugs side overlaps constantly, which is why both Cert IVs sit here together.
Do I need a degree to work in mental health?
Not for support roles. Employers hire these positions on vocational qualifications, and the two Cert IVs below are the recognised ones. Clinical work like psychology and psychiatry runs on a different track entirely, and that one does require a degree.
What's the difference between the two courses?
Specialty, not seniority. One Cert IV focuses on mental health and the other on alcohol and other drugs, and the two fields overlap constantly in practice. Open Colleges runs both online with supervised placement, and it had both up in September 2026.