A social worker in Chile earns between $0.9 million and $1.5 million pesos gross a month in the fourth year after graduation, depending on where they studied, according to the Employability and Income Search Tool of Mi Futuro, run by the Undersecretariat of Higher Education. The highest bracket belongs to graduates of the Iplacex professional institute, with $1.4 to $1.5 million, followed by Universidad SEK ($1.3 to $1.4 million).
Social Work is one of the programs with the most offerings in the country: the tool lists 40, across universities and professional institutes, and 26 report income. In public hospitals, social workers belong to the professional staff under the Administrative Statute and earn $1,275,277 to $3,522,228 gross depending on grade. This guide explains how much a social worker earns in Chile in each case, how long it takes to find work and how the field compares with related ones.
How much a social worker earns in Chile by institution
| Gross income bracket in the 4th year | Institutions | How many |
|---|---|---|
| $1.4 to $1.5 million | IP Iplacex | 1 |
| $1.3 to $1.4 million | Universidad SEK | 1 |
| $1.2 to $1.3 million | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Universidad de Valparaíso | 2 |
| $1.1 to $1.2 million | PUC de Valparaíso, Academia de Humanismo Cristiano, Silva Henríquez, Central, Aconcagua, San Sebastián and Tecnológica Metropolitana | 7 |
| $1.0 to $1.1 million | IP AIEP, IP de Chile, IP Santo Tomás, Andrés Bello, Autónoma, Católica del Maule, Concepción, La Frontera, Viña del Mar, Bío-Bío, Santo Tomás and Inacap | 12 |
| $0.9 to $1.0 million | IP Los Leones, Católica de la Santísima Concepción and Los Lagos | 3 |
| No information | Including Universidad de Chile, Alberto Hurtado and Católica de Temuco | 14 |
Source: Mi Futuro, Social Work program (40 programs, 26 with income data), consulted November 5, 2026. According to the search tool's methodology, income is the average gross monthly pay of 2018, 2019 and 2020 graduates in their fourth year after graduation, calculated with Internal Revenue Service (SII) data and expressed in September 2025 pesos. Employability is the share of graduates earning at least the minimum wage in their first or second year. Programs with few cases show "no information" (n/a).
Half of the programs with data fall in the $1.0 to $1.1 million bracket, and the average floor of the 26 programs is $1.06 million. Since the tool reports $100,000 brackets, the difference between most institutions is small. In the table below you can search for your institution and sort by income or employability:
| IP Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (Iplacex) | 1.4 | 78.7% | 84.8% |
| Universidad SEK | 1.3 | 80.4% | 89.2% |
| Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile | 1.2 | 74.0% | 85.8% |
| Universidad de Valparaíso | 1.2 | 65.1% | 83.0% |
| Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso | 1.1 | 74.6% | 87.0% |
| Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano | 1.1 | 72.6% | 80.9% |
| Universidad de Aconcagua | 1.1 | 71.3% | 74.5% |
| Universidad Católica Cardenal Raúl Silva Henríquez | 1.1 | 69.8% | 83.1% |
| Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana | 1.1 | 66.3% | 89.1% |
| Universidad Central de Chile | 1.1 | 63.4% | 89.8% |
| Universidad San Sebastián | 1.1 | 61.2% | 79.2% |
| Universidad Santo Tomás | 1.0 | 66.6% | 78.6% |
| IP AIEP | 1.0 | 64.7% | 71.8% |
| Universidad Católica del Maule | 1.0 | 63.4% | 77.2% |
| Universidad Andrés Bello | 1.0 | 62.1% | 75.5% |
| Universidad de Viña del Mar | 1.0 | 54.8% | 74.5% |
| Universidad de La Frontera | 1.0 | 52.7% | 77.6% |
| Universidad del Bío-Bío | 1.0 | 52.5% | 70.0% |
| Universidad Tecnológica de Chile Inacap | 1.0 | 50.4% | 66.9% |
| IP Santo Tomás | 1.0 | 49.7% | 65.8% |
| Universidad de Concepción | 1.0 | 48.8% | 70.6% |
| Universidad Autónoma de Chile | 1.0 | 43.1% | 66.7% |
| IP de Chile | 1.0 | 38.3% | 60.4% |
| IP Los Leones | 0.9 | 57.1% | No data |
| Universidad de Los Lagos | 0.9 | 51.9% | 69.0% |
| Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción | 0.9 | 43.4% | 62.2% |
| IP del Valle Central | No data | 84.5% | No data |
| Universidad de Artes, Ciencias y Comunicación (Uniacc) | No data | 83.1% | 84.2% |
| Universidad de Chile | No data | 78.4% | 86.7% |
| IP IACC | No data | 77.8% | 82.0% |
| IP Providencia | No data | 77.8% | 68.4% |
| Universidad Alberto Hurtado | No data | 77.0% | 86.0% |
| Universidad de Antofagasta | No data | 76.3% | 88.9% |
| Universidad Arturo Prat | No data | 75.6% | No data |
| Universidad de Atacama | No data | 75.6% | 79.5% |
| Universidad de Magallanes | No data | 61.2% | 80.0% |
| Universidad de Tarapacá | No data | 53.0% | 70.4% |
| Universidad Católica de Temuco | No data | 52.3% | 71.1% |
| Universidad Adventista de Chile | No data | 46.8% | 64.6% |
| Universidad de las Américas | No data | 46.0% | 72.3% |
How much a social worker earns in the public sector
The State is one of the main employers of social workers: hospitals, family health centers (Cesfam), municipalities, courts and social programs. In health services, they are governed by the Administrative Statute (Law 18,834) and belong to the professional staff, the same as nurses, midwives and physical therapists. The lower the grade number, the higher the salary:
| Grade | Base salary | Total gross monthly pay (0 seniority bonuses) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | $822,491 | $3,522,228 |
| 7 | $715,163 | $3,039,924 |
| 9 | $613,027 | $2,544,278 |
| 11 | $525,644 | $2,144,971 |
| 13 | $450,639 | $1,795,022 |
| 15 | $386,316 | $1,512,586 |
| 17 | $331,147 | $1,275,277 |
Source: Law 18,834 pay table for professional positions of the Health Ministry's Undersecretariat of Care Networks, in force since June 2026 with the 1.4% adjustment of Law 21,806 (published by Carlos van Buren Hospital). Amounts for employees in the AFP pension system; total pay adds base salary, professional allowance, substitute allowance and other legal components.
The entry grade is set by each service according to the vacancy. Seniority bonuses, a zone allowance in remote regions and performance bonuses are added to that amount. In municipalities, permanent social workers follow the municipal pay scale, which each district sets within legal limits, and many work on fee-based or fixed-term contracts in social programs, with amounts that depend on each agreement.
Employability of social workers in Chile
View the data as a table
| Average floor of the 4th-year income bracket | $1.06 M |
| First-year employability | 63.6% |
| Second-year employability | 77.0% |
| Programs in the tool | 40 |
| Indicator (Social Work) | Range across institutions | Simple average |
|---|---|---|
| First-year employability | 38.3% (IP de Chile) to 84.5% (IP del Valle Central) | 63.6% |
| Second-year employability | 60.4% (IP de Chile) to 89.8% (U. Central) | 77.0% |
| Actual length of the program | 8.4 to 12.4 semesters | 10.9 semesters |
| First-year retention | 51.4% to 94.4% | 79.5% |
Source: Mi Futuro, our own calculation of simple averages. Almost two out of three social workers earn above the minimum wage in their first year, and three out of four in their second. The relationship between income and employability by institution is shown in this chart:
View the data as a table
| First-year employability | Floor of 4th-year income bracket ($ million) | |
|---|---|---|
| IP Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior (Iplacex) | 79% | 1 |
| Universidad SEK | 80% | 1 |
| Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile | 74% | 1 |
| Universidad de Valparaíso | 65% | 1 |
| Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso | 75% | 1 |
| Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano | 73% | 1 |
| Universidad de Aconcagua | 71% | 1 |
| Universidad Católica Cardenal Raúl Silva Henríquez | 70% | 1 |
| Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana | 66% | 1 |
| Universidad Central de Chile | 63% | 1 |
| Universidad San Sebastián | 61% | 1 |
| Universidad Santo Tomás | 67% | 1 |
| IP AIEP | 65% | 1 |
| Universidad Católica del Maule | 63% | 1 |
| Universidad Andrés Bello | 62% | 1 |
| Universidad de Viña del Mar | 55% | 1 |
| Universidad de La Frontera | 53% | 1 |
| Universidad del Bío-Bío | 53% | 1 |
| Universidad Tecnológica de Chile Inacap | 50% | 1 |
| IP Santo Tomás | 50% | 1 |
| Universidad de Concepción | 49% | 1 |
| Universidad Autónoma de Chile | 43% | 1 |
| IP de Chile | 38% | 1 |
| IP Los Leones | 57% | 1 |
| Universidad de Los Lagos | 52% | 1 |
| Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción | 43% | 1 |
Social workers compared with other social science careers
| Program | Average floor of 4th-year income bracket | Average first-year employability |
|---|---|---|
| Sociology | $1.33 million | 56.8% |
| Psychology | $1.16 million | 62.0% |
| Special Education teaching | $1.11 million | 91.1% |
| Primary Education teaching | $1.10 million | 90.0% |
| Social Work | $1.06 million | 63.6% |
| Early Childhood Education | $0.97 million | 69.1% |
Source: Mi Futuro, consulted November 5, 2026; simple averages calculated by Vivarae News. Social Work sits close to Psychology in income and employability. To compare, see how much a psychologist earns, how much a teacher earns and how much a preschool teacher earns.
From gross to net pay for a social worker
For a hospital social worker at grade 15, with total pay of $1,512,586, the legal deductions are the AFP pension contribution (10% plus the fee), health (7% in Fonasa or the isapre plan) and income tax if applicable. With a fee of about 1.5%, contributions add up to around 18.5%, leaving net pay of about $1.23 million before tax (our own approximate calculation). For reference, the minimum wage in Chile has been $553,553 since May 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a newly graduated social worker earn in Chile?
There is no official first-year income figure. Mi Futuro reports fourth-year income: between $0.9 million and $1.5 million gross depending on the institution, with an average floor of $1.06 million.
How much does a social worker earn in a hospital?
Between $1,275,277 (grade 17) and $3,522,228 (grade 5) gross a month without seniority bonuses, according to the Health Ministry scale in force since June 2026.
Where should you study Social Work to earn more?
According to Mi Futuro, graduates of IP Iplacex ($1.4 to $1.5 million) and Universidad SEK ($1.3 to $1.4 million) have the highest fourth-year brackets, followed by Universidad Católica and Universidad de Valparaíso.
Is it easy to find work as a social worker?
On average, 63.6% of graduates earn above the minimum wage in the first year and 77% in the second, according to Mi Futuro.
