Australia's struggling aged care industry is facing a staff shortage of up to 35,000 workers, a worrying report shows.
The Herald Sun reported on the 28th that in less than a year, the number of staff shortages in the elderly care industry has doubled, which has triggered concerns that Australian elderly people are unable to obtain basic care. A report released by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia also raised concerns about Labor's pledge to have registered nurses in nursing homes around the clock. Cassandra Winzar, senior economist at
, said the COVID-19 pandemic and government inaction have caused the projected staff shortage to soar from 17,000 to 35,000 since August last year. "The current shortage is exacerbated by extremely low levels of immigration, combined with increased attrition in the industry (estimated at around 65,000 people per year)," Wenzal said.
A nurses union survey earlier this year Surveys show that one in five aged care workers intend to quit their job within the next 12 months. To fill the gap, the think tank proposed increasing wages, adding care workers to the skilled migration list and providing low-cost retraining options for workers returning to the industry.
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