Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations

Also known as Personal support workers (PSW).

Overview

Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations, provide personal care and companionship for seniors, persons with disabilities and convalescent clients. They provide care in the client's residence, where they may also reside. They are employed by home care and support agencies, private households, or they may be self-employed.

Also known as:

attendant for persons with a visual impairment - home care
attendant for persons with disabilities - home care
client care attendant - home care
companion
domestic helper
personal support worker - home support

Median salary

The median salary for this job across Ontario is $42,300

Average hourly wage

Low $17.20

Medium $20.34

High $27.10

Low
The low wage, in most cases, corresponds to the 10th percentile. For example, if the low wage is $12.00/hour, this means that 10% of the workers in the occupation earn $12.00/hour or less.

Medium
The median wage is the indicator of the prevailing wage for each occupation. The median wage is the middle point of the wage distribution, when wages are arranged in numerical order.

High
The high wage, in most cases, corresponds to the 90th percentile. For example, if the high wage is $40.00/hour, this means that 90% of the workers in the occupation earn $40.00/hour or less.

Education and training pathways

To be qualified for this job, some secondary school education is usually required. Home management experience and postsecondary may also be required. Learn how you can become a Personal Support Worker.

Secondary school or equivalency

An Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent may be required. If you haven’t completed the required credits, you can earn them through Adult learning programs.

College or university programs

College or other courses in home support may be required. Completion of a training program in care of the elderly, care of persons with disabilities, convalescent care or in a related field may be required.

Educational pathways are provided for informational purposes only. Links are included for programs at publicly assisted postsecondary institutions. They may not be inclusive of all relevant programs available in Ontario.

View college programs

Other education or certifications

First aid certification may be required.

Micro-credentials

Consider obtaining micro-credentials to gain skills and knowledge relevant to your career. Micro-credentials are rapid training programs that can help you get the skills that employers need.

View micro-credentials

Career data by region

See median salary and historical job postings of this career profile based on Economic Region.

Totals for economic regions may be less than total online job postings for the province due to exclusion of postings without reliable information.

Economic Region	Median salary ($)	Historical job postings
Ottawa	42,300	1,379
Kingston-Pembroke	41,600	1,018
Muskoka-Kawarthas	46,200	1,079
Toronto	41,600	6,367
Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie	41,600	1,735
Hamilton-Niagara Peninsula	45,800	1,880
London	45,800	631
Windsor-Sarnia	48,700	634
Stratford-Bruce Peninsula	46,800	638
Northeast	41,600	838
Northwest	50,500	380

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About the data

Information on this page is sourced from the National Occupational Classification (NOC), which is Canada’s national system for describing occupations.

NOC Code: NOC 44101

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Ontario’s labour market information website is developed for use as a resource to help people explore career options. The job outlooks for each occupation use projections of future job openings and should be interpreted with caution. Shifts in the rate of economic growth, technological developments, business restructuring, or changes in government policies can all affect the future growth prospects or skill requirements of the labour market.

Job outlooks have been developed for Ontario as a whole, and may not reflect the situation in each local labour market. The number and type of employers, the occupational make-up of the workforce, and other local economic conditions all contribute to the employment prospects for an occupation in a given community.

The accuracy of the information presented for in-demand skills and knowledge and other sections based on job posting data depends, in part, on whether jobs are categorized into the correct occupational groups. In some cases, job postings may be incorrectly attributed to an occupational grouping and the data should be interpreted with caution

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