It’s no secret that Australia’s population is ageing. Improved quality of life has strengthened longevity, increased the age of retirement and raised the average life expectancy to 82.5 years – which is among the highest in the world.
Currently representing 15% of the nation, it is expected that in just a few decades, 1 in 5 or 20% of Australians will be over the age of 65. But how are the changing dynamics of our population affecting the face of Australia’s aged care industry?
The aged care industry is currently thriving, with thousands of employment prospects each year. However, these opportunities are set to grow exponentially as both the population and the workforce ages.
According to McCrindle, because of the high median age of an employee in the aged care sector (48-50 years old), nearly half of that workforce will be of retirement age in 15 years. Combine this with the estimated need to expand the aged care workforce from 366,000 to 980,000 by 2050 and you’ve got the fastest growing, in-demand healthcare worker in Australia.
While this presents a challenge to the Australian government, to strategically manage the sector’s growth and provide employment incentives, it presents a huge opportunity for young Australians entering the workforce. A high-demand profession provides a certain level of security, the potential for competitive wages and the chance to negotiate casual, part-time or full-time schedules that suit individual needs.
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