HLT52021 is the nationally recognised Diploma of Remedial Massage. It prepares you for work as a massage therapist. It has been the current version on the national register since 2022, when it replaced HLT52015. Employers posted about 133 massage therapist jobs in June 2026, down 2.4% on a year earlier.
The signals behind the Diploma of Remedial Massage are mixed, and both sides are worth weighing. Employment is projected to grow through 2035 and enrolments are rising. The official shortage list does not rate its occupations in shortage. These are official statistics, not a promise about your result.
Job ads for massage therapists are holding steady. About 133 massage therapist jobs were advertised online in June 2026, down 2.4% on a year earlier. Over the last 12 months there were about 1,700 job ads, while 4,315 people were training in the qualification nationally (2025). Ads show the market. Enrolments show the pipeline. Neither is a job promise.
Australia's official shortage list rates massage therapists as not in shortage. The 2025 Occupation Shortage List rates Massage Therapist as not in shortage.
Massage therapist jobs are projected to keep growing strongly. Jobs and Skills Australia projections put these occupations at 19,473 workers in May 2025, 21,534 by May 2030 (up 10.6%) and 23,711 by May 2035 (up 21.8%).
Diploma of Remedial Massage graduates do worse than is typical at Diploma level. In the 2025 NCVER Student Outcomes survey, 92.2% were employed or in further study after training. The typical Diploma result is 92%, across 34 qualifications. 84.7% were satisfied with the training, against 89% typical.
More people are choosing the Diploma of Remedial Massage every year. Across Australia, 2,985 people enrolled in 2024. In 2025 it was 4,315, up 44.6% in a year. National data for HLT52021 starts in 2023.
The register and the national framework set some of this. Providers set the rest.
State funding for HLT52021 is being verified against official program lists.
Eligibility and student contributions vary by program and provider. The official state listing is the source of truth. In a subsidised place the government pays most of the tuition and you pay a co-contribution set by the program and provider.
The Diploma of Remedial Massage is 21 units: 18 core, plus 3 electives chosen from 14 options on the register.
No Get Course partner currently lists this qualification. Check the national register for organisations approved to deliver it, and remember that approval to deliver is a regulatory fact, not a recommendation. You can browse live courses from our partners and enquire today.
Browse coursesGet Course maps HLT52021 to its occupations using the register’s own outcome wording, shown with ANZSCO codes (here, 4116) so the mapping can be checked. Job advertisement counts come from the Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index and count online ads, not vacancies filled. Enrolment counts come from NCVER Total VET Activity and count people in training, not completions. Outcome benchmarks marked “typical” are medians computed by Get Course across all Diplomas in the same NCVER collection; they are derived figures, not official NCVER benchmarks. Funding rows appear only after verification against the official state program list. Source vintages: Jobs and Skills Australia Internet Vacancy Index latest month June 2026; NCVER Total VET Activity 2025 collection; employment projections May 2025 to May 2035 release; NCVER Student Outcomes survey 2025 survey; Occupation Shortage List 2025 assessment; register training.gov.au, synced 18 September 2026; register synced 19 Sept 2026. Page last updated 19 Sept 2026.