Health Workforce Update and Job Market Trends, November 2024

Job Vacancy Summary (Oct-24 data):

Month-on-month online job vacancies for health and medical occupations remained steady in October 2024 (3-month average), however, the Australian health sector is experiencing a notable contraction in job vacancies compared to the previous year. Year-on-year, online health and medical job vacancies are generally in decline - but volumes are moderating and there are pockets of job market resilience across different states and occupational groups.

Current trends reflect an ongoing adjustment in the health sector post-pandemic, characterised by record expansion in total employed, an improved supply of doctors and health workers from overseas via streamlined immigration settings, and a weakening labour market. Despite these shifts, firm demand for skilled health professionals is expected to persist, particularly in remote areas and regions with growing demographic demand for health services.

Highlights from the Oct-24 Internet Vacancy Index data:

• Compared to 2 years ago, Australia-wide demand remains steady for Medical Practitioners and Allied Health roles, while demand for Nursing and Support roles has moderated.
• South Australia demonstrates consistent growth in job ads across multiple occupation groups, including Technicians/Assistants/Support (+9.23% year-on-year) and Nursing and Midwifery (+13.38% year-on-year).
• The Northern Territory has strong demand for Allied Health (+6.85% year-on-year) and Medical Practitioners (+12.08% year-on-year), but not for Support workers.
• ACT and QLD have a higher demand for Support workers and less demand for Medical Practitioners.
• Technicians/Assistants/Support roles are in stable demand in SA and ACT, and this occupation group shows resilience in QLD and NT, with only minor year-on-year falls.
• Significant whole sector declines in health and medical job vacancies were recorded for NSW (-30.25% year-on-year) and Victoria (-27.40% year-on-year), however month-on-month job ads have rebounded strongly in VIC.
• Nursing and Midwifery roles showed consistent year-on-year declines across most states.

Source: https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/internet-vacancy-index > Data downloads > Internet Vacancies, ANZSCO4 Occupations, States and Territories - October 2024.xlsx. Refer to the ANZSCO Occupation table below for the break-down of Occupations and Occupation Groups covered in the scope of this report.

AUSTRALIA:

Health and Medical Occupations in stable demand*, Australia-wide: Nutrition Professionals, Medical Imaging Professionals, Dental Practitioners, Occupational Therapists, Podiatrists, Audiologists and Speech Pathologists/Therapists, General Practitioners and Resident Medical Officers, Anaesthetists, Specialist Physicians, Psychiatrists, Surgeons, Other Medical Practitioners, Psychologists, Social Workers, Welfare Support Workers and Special Care Workers.

*Stable demand refers to occupations with greater volumes of online job ads / vacancies in Oct-24 vs Oct-22 and Oct-19.

VICTORIA:

NEW SOUTH WALES:

QUEENSLAND:

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

NORTHERN TERRITORY:

WESTERN AUSTRALIA:

TASMANIA:

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY:

Notes and sources: *Refer to the ANZSCO Occupation Table below for the health and medical occupations and Occupation Groups covered in this report. Job Vacancies data - https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/internet-vacancy-index > Data downloads > Internet Vacancies, ANZSCO4 Occupations, States and Territories – October 2024.xlsx