Healthcare Job Statistics
Australian healthcare job statistics – industry employment overview
According to Australian Jobs 2021, Health Care and Social Assistance is Australia’s largest employing industry. The healthcare job statistics tell us that the industry accounts for 14% of Australian workers, and that 77% of these workers are female.
Professions with the most workers
The top 3 employing occupations in Health Care and Social Assistance are:
- Registered Nurses
- Aged and Disabled Carers
- Receptionists
Do you need to be qualified?
Of those employed in Health Care and Social Assistance in Australia:
- 51% have a Bachelor degree or higher qualification,
- 30% have a Certificate III or higher Vocational Education Training qualification
- 4% have other post-school qualifications
- 15% have no post-school qualifications
The National Skills Commission’s Projecting Employment to 2026 report found that in the 5 years to 2026, 9 out of 10 new jobs to be created will require some form of study after finishing school.
Future projections
The National Skills Commission is predicting Health Care and Social Assistance to be the fastest growing sector in Australia in the 5 years to November 2026:
- An estimated 301,000 jobs will be created in the sector, and of these:
- Aged and Disabled Carers are predicted to be up by 74,900 jobs (28%)
- Registered Nurses are predicted to be up by 40,400 jobs (13.9%)
Past data
A previous predictions for Health Care and Social Assistance was for it to be the fastest growing sector in the 5 years to May 2023, with a projected growth of 27.9% of all new jobs, and an estimated 250,300 to be created.
Health Care and Social Assistance was the fastest growing sector in Australia in the 5 years to November 2017, accounting for 25% of all new jobs, with 301,600 new jobs being created.
However, growth of the entire sector does not mean that it will be easy to find a job if you complete any health course or degree. Government agency Health Workforce Australia was abolished in October 2014, and subsequently workforce data has become difficult to obtain for some professions.
Australian health industry employment by profession
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners
Past data
In July 2014 Health Workforce Australia made the assessment that there were perceived maldistributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners, such that:
- there was a sufficient workforce in some areas; and
- there were shortages in other areas
For more details
- Labour Market Insights – Indigenous Health Workers
- 2014 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers / Practitioners in focus
Dentistry
Current data and future projections
Past data
The number of dentistry graduates finding a full time job within 4 months of completing their university degree:
- dropped by more than 10% between 2011 and 2012
- made a significant recovery in 2017, 2018 and 2019
- dropped again in 2020
- increased again in 2021
The 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal showed that of the 2018 dentistry graduates, 87.5% were in full time employment that year, which rose to 97.8% of this same cohort being in full time jobs 3 years later in 2021.
For more details
- Labour Market Insights – Dental Practitioners
- 2020 Graduate Outcomes Survey
- 2020 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal
- December 2014 – over 20% of 2014 dental graduates missed out on a full time job
- March 2014 – Australian Dental Association calls on government to review the dental workforce
- February 2014 – 1 in 6 Australian dental graduates seeking a full-time job
- 2014 Health Workforce Australia Future Oral Health Workforce
- January 2013 – Dental graduates 2012 – did they get jobs?
Dietetics
Current data and future projections
Past data
A survey that included responses from 294 dietetics graduates from Australia and New Zealand showed that within 4-6 months of 2020 graduation:
- 75% were employed in any field (healthcare-, nutrition-, or food-related roles were most common)
- 60% were employed in a role that required their degree (private practice was most common, followed by hospital practice)
As at early 2020, the The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business estimated the likely change in number of dietetics workers over the next 5 years would show strong growth. There was an employment size of 4,000 dietitians in Australia. However, in late 2022 the Labour Markets Insight data still showed the employment of 4,000 dietitians with no indication of the estimated future growth.
At the time of the 2011 census, of the approximately 6,200 Australians who had a dietetics qualification, only 45% stated that their occupation was a dietitian. It has been stated that “this may be a result of people choosing to work in fields unrelated to their qualification, or people unable to find employment in their chosen field.” There is some uncertainty as to why many dietitians work in other fields.
For more details
- Labour Market Insights – Dietitians
- The Australian and New Zealand dietetics graduate outcomes survey: A cross sectional study
- 2014 Australia dietetics workforce in focus article by My Health Career
- 2014 Health Workforce Australia Dietitians in Focus
- Contact the Dietitians Association of Australia
Doctor
Current data and future projections
Past data – overview
In 2012, the Health Workforce 2025 document stated that unless there is national reform, Australia will have a shortage of 2,700 (about 3%) doctors by 2025, suggesting there will be jobs available for doctors in the future in Australia.
Health Workforce 2025 also stated that the medical training pathway is poorly coordinated and that without reform, there will be insufficient postgraduate medical training places for the number of medical graduates seeking them. This creates bottlenecks for those who are in the training pathway on the way to becoming fully qualified doctors.
Past data – by area of medical specialization
There are many areas of specialisation within medicine, an each area can experience a shortage or oversupply in a given geographical location at different times. In 2012, Health Workforce 2025 stated that by 2025, unless there was reform, Australia would have a shortage of specialists in the fields of obstetrics and gynaecology, ophthalmology, anatomical pathology, psychiatry, diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology.
Between 2016 and 2018 the Department of Health released Australia’s Future Health Workforce reports for a number of medical specialties:
- Anaesthetics – the data from 2016 showed a workforce in balance, with the potential to shift into oversupply if trainee numbers are increased, or if there is no decrease in the rate of International Medical Graduates commencing practise in Australia
- Dermatology – by 2030 there it is projected that there will be an undersupply of 90 full time dermatologists, and 60 by 2025, and the training program intake would need to increase by 5.2 trainees who would do full time hours upon graduation each year from 2018 to 2025 to bring this into balance
- Emergency Medicine – by 2030, if the intake of new trainees continues to increase at a rate of 4.4% each year, there would be an oversupply of 2,328 emergency doctors, which is approximately 102% of the required number
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology – by 2030 the estimated range is for a slight oversupply of obstetricians and gynaecologists by 2.1%, or a small shortfall of 1.5%, indicating that it’s likely for this workforce to be close to balanced
- Ophthalmology – by 2030, if the intake of trainees grows at 3% as it has historically, there would be an undersupply of ophthalmologists; even increasing the intake of trainees by one each year there would be an undersupply of 68 ophthalmologists (5.5%) by 2030
- Psychiatry – by 2030 there would be an undersupply of 125 psychiatrists in Australia unless the first year intake of the program was increased to 3.3% per year instead of the anticipated 2%
For more details
- Labour Market Insights – Doctor
- 2018 – Department of Health – Australia’s Future Health Workforce – Ophthalmology
- 2018 – Department of Health – Australia’s Future Health Workforce – Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- 2017 – Department of Health – Australia’s Future Health Workforce – Dermatology
- 2017 – Department of Health – Australia’s Future Health Workforce – Emergency Medicine
- 2016 – Department of Health – Australia’s Future Health Workforce – Anaesthesia
- 2016 – Department of Health – Australia’s Future Health Workforce – Psychiatry
- 2016 – We all want doctors for rural communities but will the proposed Murray Darling Medical school help?
- 2015 – New medical schools – part of the problem or part of the solution? Q&A with NSW Medical Students’ Council Neel Gobin and Public Relations Officer Christopher Lemon
- 2014 – Health Workforce Australia – Australia’s Future Health Workforce – doctors report to 2030
- 2014 – 1/6 of 2015 commencing medical students won’t be able to become fully qualified doctors
- 2013 – Concerns about a lack of medical training positions in the future
- 2012 – Health Workforce 2025 summary volumes 1 to 3
- 2012 – Health Workforce Australia – Doctors in Focus
Nursing
Current data and future projections
Past data
The number of registered nursing graduates finding a full time job within 4 months of completing their university degree dropped by almost 10% between 2012 and 2013. Between 2013 and 2018 around 80% of nursing graduates have been able to find full time work directly after completion of their degree. However, this dropped to around 75% in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
The 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal showed that for 2018 registered nursing graduates there was a 78.7% full time employment rate that year, and that 3 years later in 2021 there was a full time employment rate of 92.2% of the 2018 graduates.
The Health Workforce 2025 document stated that unless there is national reform, Australia will have a shortage of 109,000 (27%) nurses by 2025, suggesting there is plenty of demand for nurses in Australia.
Traditionally, nursing graduates transition into nursing practice via a one year “transition to professional practice” program, which is usually a full-time job in a hospital where they develop their skills in a supervised environment. Fewer of these positions relative to the number of graduates means that it can be difficult for graduate nurses to find a job as other employers are looking for nurses with experience.
For more details
- Labour Market Insights:
- 2020 Graduate Outcomes Survey
- 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal
- 2014 – Australia’s Future Health Workforce – Nurses
- 2014 – ANMF National Graduate Nurse & Midwife Roundtable looking to secure jobs for graduates
- 2014 – What to do if you didn’t get into a grad nursing program
- 2014 – Thousands of 2014 nursing graduates predicted to miss out on jobs
- 2013 – The jobs market for graduate nurses
Occupational Therapy
Current data and future projections
In 2022 the Labour Market Insights data indicated that there were 25,600 employed occupational therapists in Australia. The National Skills Commission projected that this would increase by 7.6% in the 5 years to November 2026.
Past data
According to the registration data from the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia, there has been a large increase in the number of occupational therapists in Australia in recent years. The number of practising occupational therapists increased from 14,935 in December 2013 to 26,754 in June 2022.
There has also been an increase in demand for occupational therapy services with the rollout of the NDIS. However, there has been difficulty in obtaining data as to whether this means the workforce is in balance, or whether there is an oversupply or undersupply of occupational therapists. In 2021 The Australian Job Outlook data suggested that there would be a total of around 20,000 employed occupational therapists in Australia in 2024, when there was 16,300 in 2019.
For more details
- Labour Market Insights – Occupational Therapy
- Occupational Therapy Board of Australia registration data tables
- Contact Occupational Therapy Australia
Optometry
Current data and future projections
Past data
In 2009 Optometry Australia (formerly known as the Optometrists Association Australia) has forecast a significant oversupply of optometrists by the year 2036, but starting from 2016.
Since 2009, four new schools of optometry have opened in Australia (Deakin University, Flinders University, the University of Canberra, and The University of Western Australia) so there are more optometry graduates than there were in previous years. Prior to 2009 there were three Schools of Optometry in Australia (The University of Melbourne, The University of New South Wales, and Queensland University of Technology).
According to the Optometrists Association Australia, as stated in the Health Workforce Australia report published in March 2014, “if the increased number of student commencements translate into greater numbers of graduates entering the workforce in the next five years, this will have impacts for the industry in terms of the availability of jobs at levels suited to graduates and early career optometrists.”
According to the Optometry Board of Australia’s data, in December 2013 there were 4,559 optometrists with general registration, which grew to 6,255 by June 2022.
The article ‘The Australian Optometric Workforce 2009’ showed that the number of optometrists in 2009 was ‘more than adequate to meet the needs of the community’ at that time.
For more details
- Labour Market Insights – Optometrists
- Optometry Board of Australia registration statistics
- 2015 – The coming surplus of optometrists in Australia – what can you do to remain competitive in the jobs market?
- 2014 – Optometric workforce oversupply from 2016
- 2014 – Australian optometric workforce in focus
- 2014 – Are we training too many optometrists in Australia?
- 2010 – The Australian optometric workforce 2009
Pharmacy
Current data and future projections
Past data
According to the 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal, of those who completed undergraduate pharmacy degrees in 2018, 96.6% were in full time employment within 4 months of graduating, and 97.3% of this cohort were employed full time 3 years later in 2021.
According to the 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey-Longitudinal, of those who completed postgraduate pharmacy coursework in 2018, 97.8% were employed full time in that year, and 92.9% were in full time employment 3 years later in 2021.
Statistics regarding the full time employment rate of pharmacy graduates are often misquoted in the profession because it actually represents the percentage of pharmacy graduates who go on to be employed as interns in their mandatory pre-registration year before becoming a fully qualified pharmacist. The data from the Longitudinal survey of employment data after 3 years provides a more accurate representation of the employment rate of pharmacy graduates when they become qualified pharmacists.
According to the Pharmacy Board of Australia, in December 2013 there were 24,867 pharmacists with general registration in Australia, which grew to 32,079 by June 2022.
For more details
- Labour Market Insights – Pharmacists
- 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal
- Pharmacy Board of Australia registration data
- 2014 – 4 different career paths from recent pharmacy graduates
- 2013 – Are there jobs out there for pharmacists?
Physiotherapy
Current data and future projections
Past data
According to the Physiotherapy Board of Australia’s registration data, in December 2013 there were 24,166 physiotherapists with general registration in Australia, which grew to 37,414 by June 2022.
There has also been an increase in demand for physiotherapy services with the rollout of the NDIS. However, there has been difficulty in obtaining data as to whether this means the workforce is in balance, or whether there is an oversupply or undersupply of physiotherapists. The 2019 Australian Job Outlook data suggested that there were 31,900 employed physiotherapists in Australia that year, and that this would grow to 39,800 in 2024.
The 2014 Health Workforce Australia report stated that there is often a higher turnover of physiotherapists than other health professions, and that physiotherapists seeking longevity in a clinical career need to monitor and maintain their own physical health due to the demands of this work.
For more details
- Labour Market Insights – Physiotherapists
- Physiotherapy Board of Australia registration data
- 2014 physiotherapy workforce data released
- 2014 Health Workforce Australia – Physiotherapists in Focus
Podiatry
Current data and future projections
Past data
According to the Podiatry Board of Australia, there were 3902 podiatrists with general registration in December 2013. This number his grew to 5,782 by June 2022. If the Health Workforce Australia prediction from 2014 was correct that demand for podiatry services would grow by 5.3% each year, the podiatry workforce is in balance. That is, there is neither an undersupply or oversupply.
In 2022 the Labour Market Insights showed that there were 5,900 employed podiatrists in Australia.
For more details
- Labour Market Insights – Podiatrists
- Podiatry Board of Australia registration data
- 2014 Podiatry workforce data released
- 2014 Health Workforce Australia – podiatrists in focus
Psychology
Current data and future projections
Past data
Students who have completed an APAC-accredited undergraduate degree need to gain entry into post-graduate study to become a registered psychologist. These post-graduate places are highly competitive, and limit the number of registered psychologists in Australia.
According to the 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal the short-term full time employment rate of those completing postgraduate coursework in psychology in 2018 was 80.9% that year. This rose to 94.3% in that same cohort 3 years later in 2021.
For more details
- Labour Market Insights – Psychologists and Psychotherapists
- 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal
- 2014 Psychology workforce data released
This page was last updated in January 2023.
Please discuss this labour market data thoroughly with your careers advisor, guidance officer or career development practitioner. My Health Career also recommends that you speak to at least 3 different practitioners in any profession.
This information provided by My Health Career is general in nature and does not take into account your personal circumstances. Please refer to the terms of use of this website.