Workforce strategy
Building a sustainable aged care workforce
A strong, skilled and sustainable workforce is essential to helping older Australians age safely and thrive – yet we know the sector continues to face real challenges in attracting, developing and retaining staff.
We are advocating to strengthen the aged care workforce so it can meet the growing needs of older Australians – now and into the future.“
Table of contents
Our workforce advocacy
Through our advocacy, we’re working to ease the systemic pressures our members experience across the ageing continuum, with a clear focus on strengthening workforce capability and sustainability.
We work closely with our members and others across the sector – for example, by listening to the issues they’re raising, collaborating on practical solutions and advocating for policy changes that reflect their on-the-ground experience.
Our goal is to help build a resilient aged care workforce for today and for the future.
Ageing Australia® Workforce Hub
Visit our Workforce Hub employment gateway – a platform transforming careers in aged care for providers and job seekers across the country.
Why it matters
With a rapidly ageing population, demand for aged care services is increasing exponentially.
Aged care providers are already grappling with workforce shortages, high turnover and difficulties attracting and retaining staff – particularly in regional and remote areas.
Ensuring the aged care workforce is well-trained, supported and valued is critical to meeting the needs of today’s older Australians and preparing for the future.
Australia is not yet on track to meet these growing workforce demands, and the Aged Care Act 2024 cannot succeed without a well-trained and supported workforce.
Addressing the workforce crisis is not optional – it is essential.
Key takeaways
The aged care workforce
- Currently there are around 456,000 aged care workers in Australia.[iii]
- Aged and disability carers are projected to be Australia’s fastest growing occupation over the next decade.[iv]
- 51 per cent of aged care residential service employees were born overseas.[v]
- One in six personal care workers are on temporary visas.[vi]
Workforce demand
- According to the National Skills Commission’s Care Workforce Labour Market Study, the care and support workforce overall (across aged, disability, mental health care) will face a gap of 211,430 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions by 2049-50.[vii]
- Separately, the Committee for Economic Development of Australia’s modelling for the direct-care aged care workforce estimates a shortfall of 400,000 workers by 2050 if current growth persists. This larger figure comes from a CEDA analysis focused on direct-care workers in the aged care sector under a three-star care standard scenario.[viii]
- 25,000 allied health professionals will be needed by 2033 to meet the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.[ix]
- Australia is facing a critical shortage of almost 80,000 (79,473) nurses by 2035. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s own modelling forecasts a shortage of 17,551 FTE nurses in aged care, or 19,287 using the predicted figure decrease in average FTE for nurses working in aged care.[x]
Aged care demand
- From 2024-2044, the number of people aged 70 years and over in Australia is projected to increase by approximately 2.3 million (67.8 per cent). During this time, the proportion of people aged 85 years and over is projected to increase by 6.7 per cent (from 17.4 per cent in 2024 to 24.1 per cent in 2044).[xi]
- Residential care (permanent and respite) demand is currently approximately 10,600, with about 200,000 beds in use. Demand for residential care is projected to rise to approximately 410,000 by 2044.[xii]
- Home care demand is about 34,500 people per year, with approximately 1,130,000 home care packages currently in use. By 2044, it is projected approximately 1,820,000 people will be requiring home care by 2044.[xiii]
Our sector engagement
We are actively working with our members and the sector to deliver solutions where they are needed most – addressing immediate workforce challenges and strengthening the aged care workforce for the future.
Between March and June 2025, our team travelled across the country to host a series of strategic workforce engagement forums. These forums brought together over 1,200 delegates from aged care, health, education, government and the community.
Events were held in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote locations – ranging from Dubbo in NSW to Port Augusta in SA and Karratha in WA, as well as at all Ageing Australia state conferences.
This ensured workforce-related issues from all communities, large and small, were captured and understood.
Workforce outcomes
Across every engagement forum, four consistent themes emerged – attraction, retention, training and sustainability.
Attraction
Bringing new talent into the sector
| Challenges | Opportunities |
|---|---|
Attracting new workers to the aged care sector faces the following challenges:
| The following strategies could resolve workforce challenges:
|
Retention
Supporting staff to stay and grow in aged care
| Challenges | Opportunities |
|---|---|
Retention of aged care workers faces the following challenges:
| The following strategies could support staff retention:
|
Training
Ensuring workers have the skills they need
| Challenges | Opportunities |
|---|---|
Sector challenges around training include:
| Workforce training could be enhanced in the following ways:
|
Sustainability
Building a workforce capable of meeting future demands
| Challenges | Opportunities |
|---|---|
Sustainability in aged care faces the following challenges:
| Sustainability could be supported in the following ways:
|
What next?
For the Aged Care Act 2024 to truly succeed in placing older people at its core, we need immediate workforce support that is sustainable for future generations.
We also need well-designed, deliberate policies that prioritise our workforce. Achieving this requires coordinated action across all levels of government, as well as collaboration with providers, education and training systems, and the broader health and community care sectors.
Our policy recommendations
A National Aged Care Workforce Strategy to be led by the Commonwealth, with genuine involvement from states and territories and meaningful sector engagement.
The strategy would provide the foundation for aligning all workforce initiatives and ensure national coherence. It would embed local voices and creates a shared roadmap for attraction, retention, training and sustainability.
Essential Skills Visa to be modelled on the Aged Care Labour Agreement but simplified for direct entry.
This visa would enable faster recruitment of essential aged care workers without requiring individual employer sponsorship. It would reduce red tape, fill critical workforce gaps more efficiently and provides a stable migration pathway aligned to sector needs.
A sector-driven campaign to reposition aged care as a valued, progressive career.
It would highlight purposeful career pathways and the diversity of roles, leveraging storytelling, media partnerships and community champions.
The campaign would enhance public perception, attract new workers and improve retention through pride and recognition.
The requirement for labour market testing for personal care workers, enrolled nurses, and registered nurses, to be removed, with a review of visa effectiveness every three to five years.
This change would speed up international recruitment, reduce administrative burden on providers and maintain flexibility while ensuring accountability through periodic review.
Funding and access to earn-as-you-learn pathways, school-based traineeships, and structured transition-to-practice programs to be increased for nurses.
This would include support for fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in-drive-out (DIDO) workforce models for remote and rural communities.
These initiatives would help build a sustainable domestic pipeline, strengthen rural workforce supply and support smoother transitions from study to work in aged care.
Get involved
References
[iii] About the aged care workforce | Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
[v] GEN Aged Care Data, Aged Care Workforce
[vii] National Skills Commission, Care Workforce Labour Market Study 2021
[viii] CEDA Duty of Care: How to fix the aged care worker shortage 2025
[ix] Allied Health Aged Care Workforce Model | ACDHS