workforce
A world of help
More and more staff in the sector are coming from overseas; Australia must recognise how this can make its workforce stronger.
Joel Negin interviewed by Dallas Bastian
The number of foreign-born care workers in Australia has increased considerably in recent years and understanding migration patterns is critical to addressing aged-care workforce challenges, a study has found.
A research paper from the University of Sydney, titled Foreign-born Aged Care Workers in Australia: A growing trend, showed that, in 2011, the majority of care workers in the country were Australia-born, followed by those from the UK, South-east Asia and South Asia.“ While the number of carers from all regions has grown, the increase from 2006 to 2011 has been highest for carers from South Asia( 333 per cent) and sub-Saharan Africa
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( 145 per cent),” the report stated.“ In 2011, Western Australia had the highest proportion of foreign-born carers in Australia, with 51 per cent of the workforce foreign-born.” Study co-author Joel
Negin, from the School of Public Health at the University of
Sydney, says this trend will probably continue.“ The total number of aged-care workers between 2006 and 2011, both Australia-born and foreign-born, increased by 36 per cent, according to the census … and obviously if that increase continues, a good chunk of that is going to be foreign-born,” Negin says.
Our workforce should be reflecting the diversity Australia has. [ That diversity ] is not, by any means, a problem. It’ s a reflection of the Australian population.
28 agedcareinsite. com. au