Recreation Workers
Conduct recreation activities with groups in public, private, or volunteer agencies or recreation facilities. Organize and promote activities, such as arts and crafts, sports, games, music, dramatics, social recreation, camping, and hobbies, taking into account the needs and interests of individual members.
Most important skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordination
- Service Orientation
- Monitoring
- Instructing
- Critical Thinking
Key knowledge
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- Law and Government
- Psychology
- Administrative
- Computers and Electronics
What the work involves
- Enforce rules and regulations of recreational facilities to maintain discipline and ensure safety.
- Organize, lead, and promote interest in recreational activities, such as arts, crafts, sports, games, camping, and hobbies.
- Manage the daily operations of recreational facilities.
- Administer first aid according to prescribed procedures and notify emergency medical personnel when necessary.
- Greet new arrivals to activities, introducing them to other participants, explaining facility rules, and encouraging participation.
- Explain principles, techniques, and safety procedures to participants in recreational activities and demonstrate use of materials and equipment.
- Evaluate recreation areas, facilities, and services to determine if they are producing desired results.
- Complete and maintain time and attendance forms and inventory lists.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Enterprising, Realistic.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree (62% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (29.8%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months (33.9%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Recreation Workers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Very high | Higher on contact with others than 85% of occupations compared | 83% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Moderate | Higher on dealing with the public than 54% of occupations compared | 49% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important” |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 70% of occupations compared | 65% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Moderate | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 53% of occupations compared | 44% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very low | Lower on time pressure than 86% of occupations compared | 34% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Conflict situations | High | Higher on conflict situations than 62% of occupations compared | 32% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Very high | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 84% of occupations compared | 33% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Consequence of error | High | Higher on consequence of error than 68% of occupations compared | 40% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very low
- Conflict situations: high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very high
- Consequence of error: high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 1.08%
- Contact with others about half the time: 0%
- Contact with others most of the time: 16.23%
- Constant contact with others: 82.69%
n = 25, Incumbent 07/2017
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 1.87%
- Fairly important: 13.74%
- Important: 23.93%
- Very important: 49.14%
- Extremely important: 11.32%
n = 24, Incumbent 07/2017
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 0.17%
- Important: 15.54%
- Very important: 19.02%
- Extremely important: 65.27%
n = 25, Incumbent 07/2017
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 5.1%
- Very little freedom: 0.53%
- Limited freedom: 18.01%
- Some freedom: 32.07%
- A lot of freedom: 44.29%
n = 25, Incumbent 07/2017
Time pressure
- Never: 8.65%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 16.92%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 33.66%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 17.65%
- Every day: 23.13%
n = 25, Incumbent 07/2017
Conflict situations
- Never: 6.8%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 32.27%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 21.38%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 31.64%
- Every day: 7.92%
n = 25, Incumbent 07/2017
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 22.8%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 32.77%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 11.75%
- Every day: 32.68%
n = 24, Incumbent 07/2017
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 10.42%
- Fairly serious: 20.8%
- Serious: 26.72%
- Very serious: 2.07%
- Extremely serious: 39.99%
n = 24, Incumbent 07/2017
Is this career right for me? Find jobs with conditions you prefer
Where people with this background could move
- Analyze
Recreational Therapists
Closeness 92/100
- Analyze
Fitness and Wellness Coordinators
Closeness 92/100
- Analyze
Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling
Closeness 92/100
- Analyze
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
Closeness 92/100 · job zone -1
- Analyze
Directors, Religious Activities and Education
Closeness 92/100
- Analyze
Coaches and Scouts
Closeness 92/100
Find more alternativesCompare skills with another job
O*NET-SOC 39-9032.00 · SOC 39-9032 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8