Ageing Nation, Ageing Workforce -challenges for aged care provision in the 21st century

Australia, like other nations in the OECD, faces the twin challenges of population and workforce ageing. The aged care sector faces the twin pressures of having to manage a significant increase in demand for aged care at a time when attracting and retaining workers will become more difficult. The fundamental problem facing most sectors is that unless we implement new strategies, more people are set to retire from the workforce than enter it. In this paper we review key workforce challenges facing the aged care sector, including increasing demand for aged care flowing from population ageing and an ageing workforce - resulting in increased competition for skilled workers and skill shortages. This paper highlights the importance of workforce planning and development strategies to retain and sustain the workforce, and identify the limitations imposed on those strategies by the absence of a comprehensive workforce database.