An ageing aged care workforce

The aged care sector will band together at a national conference this month to discuss what can be done to meet the increasing demands of our ageing population.

The Aged Care Workforce Strategy 2024 is the first event hosted by leading industry voice, Aged Care Insite magazine.

Aged Care Insite Events Executive Charlie Scanlon said the session was inspired by the common concerns of their readership and academic contributors.

Leading the discussion will be the question of how to attract and maintain the staff needed for a functioning aged care workforce.

“We’re going to be tackling the issue head on. We will look at investments, infrastructure, training, leadership and education,” Mr Scanlon says.

Mr Scanlon hopes around 180 delegates from the industry will turn out for the day, including government representatives, peak bodies, business leaders, academics, health professionals, tertiary education providers and nurses.

A diverse cast of speakers will guide the proceedings, from SummitCare Chief Executive Cynthia Payne to McCrindle Research Director Claire Madden.

Ms Madden will use her background as a social researcher to paint a picture of the planning and appropriate action that needs to be done to sustain our aged care workforce.

She says the Australian aged care industry not only needs to worry about an ageing population, but an ageing workforce.

“The median age of an Australian is 37, and median age of a worker is 40. 

“In the aged care sector this ageing is even more pronounced – the median age for a residential direct care worker is 48 and community direct care workers is 50 years, which makes it the sector with the highest median age of an employee.

“To put it in perspective, the median age of someone in financial services is 37.3,” Ms Madden said.

“Half of the aged care workforce will be of retirement age in 15 years.”

When 2021 approaches, we will have to look to Generation Y to fill the gaps of those retired workers, but social trends suggest they will be less loyal to the industry than their predecessors.

“People coming into the workforce today are multi-career in outlook. They will average about 17 jobs across five different careers.

“The average tenure today is about three years and four months,” Ms Madden said.

“So the challenge in aged care is not only attracting workers, but keeping them.”

She said the age differential is shrinking rapidly so the demand for these workers is unrelenting.

“Currently one in five Australians are aged over 60 and one in four are aged under 20.

“By 2024 there will be more over 60s than under 20s and Australia’s population pyramid will become inverted for the first time in history,” Ms Madden said.

“We’re on the brink of a significant succession planning challenge - We need to recruit more workers than ever before and somehow maintain them.”

The Aged Care Workforce Strategy 2024 meet on Wednesday March 26 at Pyrmont Point in Sydney.