The aged care workforce is responsible for providing safe and high-quality care to people accessing aged care services in Australia. Aged care services include residential aged care, home care, home support and other flexible care programs.
Last updated: 27 August 2024
The aged care system offers a continuum of care under three main service types:
- Home support (Commonwealth Home Support Programme) provides entry-level services focused on supporting individuals to undertake tasks of daily living to enable them to be more independent at home and in the community.
- Home Care (Home Care Packages Program) is a more structured, more comprehensive package of home-based support, provided over four levels from basic to high care needs.
- Residential aged care provides support and accommodation for people who have been assessed as needing higher levels of care than can be provided in the home, and the option for 24-hour nursing care. Residential aged care is provided on either a permanent or respite (short-term) basis.
There are also several types of flexible care services and services for specific population groups such as:
- Multi-Purpose Services provide aged care alongside health services in regional and remote areas.
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program provides culturally appropriate aged care at home and in the community.
Other flexible care services that are available and extend across the spectrum of home support to residential aged care include the Transition Care Programme, the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme, the Innovative Care Programme, and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs Community Nursing Program and Veterans’ Home Care services.
A provider (or organisation) manages an aged care service. Providers may operate several different services, sometimes across different aged care service types. Providers deliver services within a home, community or residential aged care setting. A service can also be an outlet that provides home support. The Australian Government assesses and approves home and residential aged care providers. Approved providers are subsidised by the Australian Government, making services more affordable and accessible to eligible care recipients.
For more information on aged care services in Australia see the Providers, services and places in aged care, the Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act or visit the Department of Health and Aged Care website.
Aged care workforce data sources
Aged care workforce data provide information on nurses, personal care workers and allied health professionals, as well as administrative and ancillary staff employed in aged care service settings. Workforce data are collected through various statistical collections in Australia including:
- The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Labour Force Survey which contains estimates of employment, unemployment, underemployment, participation and hours worked including quarterly, monthly and yearly data.
- The ABS Census of Population and Housing which is conducted every five years provides a rich snapshot of all people living in Australia on Census night. As a leading source of information for population groups and areas, the Census allows the analysis of detailed labour market activity, industry and occupation data.
- The National Health Workforce Data Set combines data from the annual Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency registration process with the data from a workforce survey voluntarily completed at the time of registration. Data include demographic and employment information for registered health professionals.
- The Aged Care Provider Workforce Survey, previously the Aged Care Workforce Census, provides a periodic overview of the aged care sector workforce regarding the attributes and skills of the workforce central to delivering quality aged care services.
Data presented in most of these national workforce collections are limited to residential aged care services. These services are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as primary activities of operation for the accommodation of older people including aged care hostels, nursing homes and residential care for older people (ABS 2013). The reduced visibility of the majority of the workforce within the aged care sector currently limits our understanding of the size and skills of the workforce providing aged care in Australia.
Figures below present recent findings from the ABS Census and Labour Force Survey describing the characteristics of people employed in residential aged care services.
According to the 2021 ABS Census, over 258,000 people were employed in residential aged care services across Australia (ABS 2023a).
Most of these employees were located in New South Wales (31%), Victoria (24%) and Queensland (21%), as most people accessing permanent residential aged care services are located in these states (see People using aged care).
Aged care workers
Within the various aged care services, care is provided by a range of workforce roles. There are several main job groups that make up the aged care workforce:
- Personal care workers including personal care worker and personal care worker formal traineeship job roles.
- Nurses including nurse practitioner, registered nurse and enrolled nurse job roles.
- Allied Health professionals including the following job roles; audiologist, chiropractor, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) health worker/practitioner, dietitian, diversional therapist, exercise physiologist, occupational therapist, osteopath, pharmacist, physiotherapist, podiatrist, psychologist, social worker, speech therapist, allied health assistants and other (not specified) allied health professionals.
- Administration including administrative, management, and quality and education coordinator job roles.
- Other roles including pastoral/spiritual care workers, oral health professionals and those providing ancillary care. Ancillary care includes services such as cleaning, kitchen, gardening, and maintenance or labour.
- Informal carers including volunteers.
Informal carers are an integral part of Australia’s health system and are the foundation of our aged, disability, palliative and community care systems. According to the 2018 ABS Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, an estimated 2.65 million Australians provide informal caring support. Informal carers and volunteers play a vital role within aged care by providing important, non-clinical support that complements the role of aged care workers.
For more information on carers and volunteers, see Informal carers and Volunteers.
In Australia, results from the 2021 Census indicated that:
- Around half (48%) of employees in residential aged care services were personal care workers.
- Of the remaining job roles, 18% of residential aged care service employees were in nursing roles, 11% were managers and administrative professionals and 6% were allied health and welfare professionals.
Aged care workers by age and sex
Males and females working in residential aged care services have different age profiles. According to the ABS Census, the aged care workforce remains largely comprised by females with around 4 in 5 (83%) people working in aged care residential services in 2021 reporting being female. Males who worked in residential aged care services tended to be younger with 55% being younger than 45 years, while females tended to be older with over 50% being aged 45 years and older.
Aged care workers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
Australia is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse countries in the world. Cultural and linguistic diversity can cover a range of characteristics including a person’s country of birth, ancestry, where their parents were born and what languages they speak.
In 2021:
- Just over 1 in 2 (51%) aged care residential service employees were born overseas with 36% of this group being born in Southern and Central Asian countries.
- The 5 most common countries of birth for aged care residential service employees who were born overseas were Nepal, India, Philippines, England and New Zealand.
- Around 2 in 5 (39%) aged care residential service employees also spoke a language other than English at home.
Changes in the aged care workforce over time
The Labour Force Survey indicates that over the last 10 years there has been an overall increase in the total number of people employed in residential care services.
- In the 10 years from 2014 to 2024, the number of people employed in residential care services increased by 39% from around 216,000 people to 301,000 people.
- From 2020 to 2022, the number of men employed in residential care services increased by 29%, while the number of women decreased by 7%.
- Between 2022 and 2023, there was a decrease of 31% in the number of employees in residential care services. This may be attributed to the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on many residential care services, with around 44,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in residential aged care staff during the 2022–23 financial year (Department of Health and Aged Care, 2023).
Where can I find out more?
For more information about the aged care workforce, see the Department of Health and Aged Care website:
References
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2013. 8601 Aged Care Residential Services. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 10 January 2024.
ABS 2023. TableBuilder. AIHW analysis using Census TableBuilder. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 22 November 2023.
ABS 2024. Labour Force, Australia, Detailed. Canberra: ABS. Viewed 28 June 2024.
Department of Health and Aged Care 2023. 2022–23 Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act 1997. Canberra: Department of Health and Aged Care. Viewed 10 January 2024.
