Healthy future as sector booms

Growth in healthcare, social aid beyond expectations

THE number of jobs created in the healthcare and social assistance sector has boomed well beyond official forecasts in the past five years, in a show of the strength of opportunity available in the sector.

The Federal Government’s Australian Jobs 2013 report forecast 178,000 new jobs would be created in the five years to November 2017, but its 2018 report reveals in actuality, 301,600 new jobs were created.

The report outlines it is Australia’s largest and fastest growing industry.

Healthcare and social assistance is also forecast to have the strongest employment growth of any industry in the next five years of 16.1 per cent, equal to 268,000 more jobs.

SEEK’s latest Employment Trends Report finds the number of job advertisements in healthcare grew 14 per cent in the year to September.

In its community services and development category, there was an increase of 12 per cent in the same period.

SEEK managing director Kendra Banks attributes the national rollout of the NDIS to having an ongoing positive effect on job advertisement growth.

“The growth in community services and development sector continues to be driven by roles in aged care and disability support as the NDIS is rolled out across the country,” she says.

‘‘ THE GROWTH IN COMMUNITY SERVICES AND DEVELOPMENT SECTOR CONTINUES TO BE DRIVEN BY ROLES IN AGED CARE AND DISABILITY SUPPORT AS THE NDIS IS ROLLED OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

KENDRA BANKS

Most people employed in the healthcare and social sector are registered nurses (260,300) or carers (153,200 aged and disabled carers, 114,700 child carers), but 29 per cent are employed in allied health roles such as physiotherapist, speech pathologist

and pharmacist.

Developmental educators are allied health professionals who help people with a disability with independence and social inclusion, as well as the person’s family and carers.

They may teach life skills such as self-care, recreation or employment skills, promote emotional health and wellbeing or advocate on a customer’s behalf.

Disability services provider

Cara reports its workforce has more than doubled in the past five years, from 467 employees in 2013 to 977 this year.

Specialist services manager Jane Huscroft enjoys being able to help people achieve

their goals and aspirations.

“The most fulfilling part of my job is being able to support the staff to support our customers to become empowered in making decisions about their life,” she says.