1 July 2022
The critical shortfall of aged care workers has more than doubled over the past nine months, surging from 17,000 in August to an estimated 30,000 to 35,000 in 2022, the Committee for Economic Development Australia (CEDA) reports.
CEDA warns aged care is spiralling towards a “worst-case scenario” with a massive 65,000 workers predicted to leave the sector this year alone due to poor conditions and low pay during the pandemic.
As a short-term fix, CEDA is urging the Federal Government to encourage more overseas workers to migrate to Australia to fill the gaps, recommending a new visa be created to target personal carers.
It says Australia will require 17,000 more direct aged care workers each year just to meet basic standards of care. The country is facing a shortage of at least 110,000 direct aged care workers within the next decade unless urgent action is taken to boost the workforce. Failure to do so will see that figure likely balloon to more than 400,000 by 2050, a nightmarish scenario given our rapidly ageing population.
CEDA senior economist Cassandra Winzar told The New Daily that efforts to overhaul the industry after the Royal Commission’s “shocking tale of neglect” findings are now at risk unless more is done to fix the severe shortage of carer workers.
This includes Labor’s election pledge to fund 24/7 nurses at every aged-care centre, she said.
“The promise and desire for better quality care is fantastic,” Ms Winzar told The New Daily.
“But with the workforce as it currently stands, and work conditions as they currently are, they’re [Labor] not going to be able to deliver on those promises.”
If this continues, Ms Winzar warns Australia faces a shortfall of up to 35,000 carer workers every year.
“With more workers leaving the sector and fewer coming in through migration, the gap between where we need to be to meet demand and where we are currently has essentially doubled,” she wrote.
“Without substantial growth in the workforce, not only will we fail to meet the aspiration of improved care (as called for in the Royal Commission), but our levels of care will likely deteriorate.”
The alarming predictions mirror an ANMF survey of workers in early 2022 on the impact of COVID-19 on the aged care workforce. It found that 20 per cent of workers intended to leave their employment within the next 12 months, and 38 per cent within the next one to five years. The survey also asked workers what the most challenging aspect of dealing with COVID-19 in aged care has been – the answer to this was overwhelmingly staff shortages.
For years, the ANMF has been raising concerns related to critical workforce shortages and the need for better pay and working conditions.
Our recent aged care campaign focused on these exact issues and identified four key areas to address the crisis in the sector.
The Albanese Government has since committed to these key areas which include:
• The need for RN 24/7 cover in all aged care sites
• Safe staffing ratios and the right skills mix
• The need for greater transparency for funding tied to care in the sector
• The need for better pay and working conditions so that we can attract and retain the workforce that is needed
We have also joined other unions in calling for a 25 per cent pay rise for aged care workers through the Fair Work Commission, which Ms Winzar said would be necessary to stop workers from abandoning the industry.
She said low pay rates and tough conditions for aged-care workers must be improved – otherwise Australia would be left without enough workers to care for its ageing population.
However, CEDA warns that alone won’t be enough to address immediate crises facing the industry – due to the fact that there are just not enough available workers to fill the vacant positions.
Ms Winzar told New Daily boosting migration was essential to ensuring the sector had enough staff to maintain, and eventually improve, poor care standards.
The ANMF continues to work with the Federal and State Governments in how we can secure appropriately qualified staff for now and in to the future.