The aged care workforce 2012: final report

This report provides detailed information about the workforce that delivers aged care to older Australians in both residential and community care. The data contained in the report was gathered as part of the third aged care workforce census and survey, funded by the Department of Health and Ageing and conducted by the National Institute of Labour Studies. In reporting on the 2012 aged care workforce, comparisons are made between the workforce in residential and community care, and with relevant findings from 2003 and 2007 so that the overall development of the sector can be tracked. The report focuses primarily on direct care workers who are ['pay as you go' income tax system] PAYG employees in residential facilities and community outlets, including nurse practitioners (NPs), registered nurses (RNs), enrolled nurses (ENs), personal care attendants (PCAs)/community care workers (CCWs), allied health professionals (AHPs) and allied health assistants (AHAs). Limited information is also provided on PAYG non-direct care workers (i.e. managers, administration and ancillary staff) and non-PAYG workers (i.e. agency, brokered or self-employed staff, and volunteers). The findings provide detailed information about how the direct care workforce is structured, who works in aged care, how workers are recruited, the extent to which they have adequate training, what their working conditions are, how they experience working in aged care and their pathways into and out of aged care work.