National Aquatic Industry Workforce Report 2025
Understanding the size, profile, and future of Australia’s aquatic workforce
Royal Life Saving Australia, with the support of the National Aquatic Industry Committee and State and Territory Member Organisations, has released the National Aquatic Industry Workforce Report 2025. This landmark study provides the most up-to-date evidence on the size and profile of the national aquatic workforce, alongside the issues, needs, challenges, and opportunities shaping its future.
The research draws on:
- Successive national workforce surveys which analysed more than 6,000 responses across every major role in aquatic facilities.
- Workforce modelling using a variety of authoritative sources, including the RLSSA State of Industry Snapshot 2024 and the RLSSA National Aquatic Infrastructure Database.
- Validation against independent datasets, including CERM PI, AUSTSWIM and RLS state / territory annual certification volumes, and AUSactive workforce data.
Key Findings
Size & Profile:
- The national aquatic industry employs an estimated 85,000 workers.
- The largest roles are swimming and water safety teachers (33%), lifeguards (20%), and customer service staff (15%).
- Women now hold 54% of senior leadership roles
Issues & Needs:
- Nearly half the workforce (45%) is employed casually, and over one-third (34%) work fewer than 15 hours per week.
- While the proportion working 32+ hours per week has more than tripled since 2019, this reflects the need for more stable hours to meet financial needs.
Challenges:
- Occupational violence and aggression (OVA) is widespread: 90% of workers report experiencing OVA, with 25% experiencing it frequently.
- Forty-four per cent feel unsafe at a concerning level, and 18% at an alarming level.
- Leadership perceptions are strong, but are uneven, with 57% rating quality as high and 15% as low.
Opportunities:
- More than half of workers (53%) now see the aquatic industry as offering good career opportunities, and 51% report long-term career goals in the sector.
- Workers continue to highlight purpose and community impact as the most rewarding parts of their jobs, reinforcing the industry’s potential to attract and retain staff through values-driven approaches.
Why This Matters
Aquatic facilities are essential to Australian community life. They provide safe places to swim, teach lifesaving skills, and promote health, wellbeing, and social connection. But to deliver these outcomes, the industry must respond to workforce needs, address safety and retention challenges, and seize the opportunities to upskill workers in response to change and build a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable workforce.
Recommendations for the Sector
The report outlines practical pathways for action, including:
- Tackling occupational violence and aggression to make aquatic facilities safe for workers and patrons.
- Investing in consistent leadership development and succession planning.
- Building more secure and sustainable employment pathways.
- Strengthening diversity and inclusion to reflect the communities served.
- Implementing the National Aquatic Workforce Framework to support attraction, retention, and capability across every role.
The report is available to read below.
