The Health Care and Social Assistance industry is the second largest industry in Australia, employing 1,146,300 people (or 10.6 per cent of the total workforce) as at February 2009.
The industry is roughly divided into eight sectors and includes: Hospitals; Medical Services; Pathology and Diagnostic Imaging Services; Allied Health Services; Other Health Care Services; Residential Care Services; Child Care Services; and Other Social Assistance Services.
The Health workforce is growing-between 2001 and 2006, the 23% growth in numbers employed in health occupations were almost double that for all occupations.
Employment growth in Health Care and Social Assistance is expected to be very strong. An ageing population, the continued demand for child care coupled with the growth of community and home-based services and advances in medical technology are expected to increase the future demand for health services. DEEWR has projected employment in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry to grow at an average rate of 3.0 per cent per annum, which equates to around 181 600 new jobs in the five years to 2013-14). This compares with an average annual growth rate of 1.0 per cent for all industries over the same period (DEEWR - Employment Outlook for Health and Social Assistance).
The proļ¬le of the Health workforce continues to age-the proportion of those aged 55 years and over was 16% in 2006 compared with 12% in 2001. Compared with major cities, remote areas have less than half the supply of medical practitioners and dentists (number of 'full-time equivalents' per 100,000 population). Comparing 2005 with 1997, the overall supply of primary care doctors (mostly general practitioners) was about 9% lower in 2005-but in remote areas the supply was 15% higher.
The Health Sector represents one sector in the diverse Health and Community Services industries in Queensland.
There are around 450,000 paid health professionals in Australia, of whom just over 350,000 are currently employed in health service industries. Over half are nurses, with medical professionals and allied health professionals accounting for a further 12 per cent and 9 per cent of the workforce respectively. There are also some 200,000 administrative and service workers employed in the health services area, as well as a sizeable volunteer workforce.
Though precise quantification is difficult, there are evident shortages in workforce supply - particularly in general practice, various medical specialty areas, dentistry, nursing and some key allied health areas.
There are major workforce distribution issues. Shortages are often more significant in outer metropolitan, rural and remote areas and especially in Indigenous communities. Areas of special need such as mental health, aged care and disability services also suffer significant shortages in the face of growing demand (Australia's Health Workforce Report, Productivity Commission, 2006).
Health Sector occupations include:
Direct Client Care Work
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Technical support work
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Ancillary and business services
The Health Sector includes:
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And employers include:
The Health Sector services are generally funded by Federal or State governments. Organisations providing health services range from very small community organisations, large community organisations, large private hospitals, general medical practices as well as state health departments through acute care in hospitals and community health centres.
In August 2009 the Queensland health and social assistance workforce numbered 237,500 people or 20.3% of employment in Australia and 10.7% of employment in Queensland (DEEWR Labour Market Information Portal).
Job roles in the health sector include:
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Volunteers provide a range of support to the health sector whether private, non-government organisations providing services to staff and patients.
Cost to organisations of attracting and inducting volunteers have increased with various legislative and policy initiatives. Under proposed changes, volunteers working with children in hospitals will be required to undergo a criminal history screening to obtain a 'Blue Card'. These requirements are organised by the employers and are dependent on the volunteer role.
Just over 10% of employed Queenslanders work in the Health Care and Social Assistance sectors. At the end of 2009 there were 231,700 people employed in these sectors in Queensland, 60% of whom were employed full-time and 40% part-time. The largest proportion of workers (31%) were employed in hospitals, followed by Medical and Other Health Care Services (27%), Social Assistance Services (25%) and Residential Care Services (17%).
This makes Health Care and Social Assistance the third largest employing industry in Queensland (after Retail Trade and Construction). Growth in these sectors has been significant and continuing over the past decade, having grown by 49% in that period. In the twelve months to November 2009, the global financial crisis meant the Queensland economy lost 13,000 jobs across all industries, however for the same period the Queensland Health Care and Social Assistance sectors grew by almost 21,000 jobs or 9.8%.
Workers in these sector need to have a caring attitude and a willingness to work with a range of clients with a diversity of needs should they be interested in direct client care. There is a diversity of work in the health sectors including technical and business services that support direct client care workforce. The changing policy directions emphasise preventative health which is altering the dependence on acute care and means that health and social assistance workforce will integrate a range of services and focus on the needs of their clients and at the same time improving the system to make self management of chronic disease possible.
Key job roles and related vocational qualification levels in this sector include:
New Skill Sets within the Health Training Package in areas such as Allied health assistance will meet a need for emerging roles and flexibility required from the workforce in the future.
Professional occupations include Medical Practitioner, Medical Specialist, Enrolled Nurse, Registered Nurse, Midwife, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist, Physiotherapist, Podiatrist, Radiographer, Optometrist, Audiologist, Nutritionist, Pharmacist, Dentist, Acupuncturist, and others. Qualifications related to the health professions are generally Degree level or higher.
Traineeships
Traineeships relevant to work in the Health Sector include the following:
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The Health and Community Services Workforce Council acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Queensland and their continuing connection to land and community. We pay our respect to them and their cultures, and to the elders both past and present.
