Survey results show fall in national return to work rate

Safe Work Australia’s 2025 National Return to Work (NRTW) Survey results have been released. Providing critical insights for improving return to work outcomes and ensuring more equitable support for all injured workers, the survey shows that the NRTW rate fell to 88.9% in 2025 — down from 91.6% in 2021.

Notable differences between outcomes for workers with physical and psychological injuries are also revealed — workers with physical injuries had a higher return rate (90.2%) than those with psychological injuries (76.5%). Further, while most workers (64.7%) returned to the same duties, the survey shows that only 53.4% resumed their previous hours — a drop from 58.1% in 2021.

To support the launch of SWA’s survey data, a range of resources are available. These include the following:

• NRTW Survey factsheet — showcasing, at a national level, key findings related to return to work experiences;
• NRTW Survey Analysis Report — providing more detailed insights, with a focus on the drivers that contribute to successful return to work outcomes; and
• NRTW Survey Dashboard — an interactive data dashboard where updated datasets from SWA’s NRTW Survey results are available.
   

Image credit: iStock.com/LOUISE BEAUMONT. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.