For years, sector leaders operated under a convenient assumption: aged care staff leave because the pay isn’t high enough. It was a clean story, putting the solution squarely on funding models and government wage subsidies.
The latest data from Mirus Australia shreds that assumption.
Polling of professionals across 123 Australian aged care organisations reveals that 52 per cent of providers lost at least one staff member over the past year they explicitly believe they could have retained. Most lost several.
The driver isn’t external salary competition. Factors within a provider’s direct operational control– like workload, culture, and leadership – outweigh pay three to one.
Burnout beats salary at the exit door
When asked why employees walk, burnout and workload topped the list at 21 per cent. Pay and conditions elsewhere trailed at 16 per cent, followed by staff feeling unheard or undervalued (15%) and poor management (12%).
Ben Sturzaker, General Manager of Product at Mirus Australia, notes that the industry conversation is finally catching up to reality on the floor.
“For years the conversation about aged care turnover started and ended with pay, and that made sense at the time,” Sturzaker says. “What providers are telling us now matches what workers told the government’s own workforce survey: burnout, workload and feeling unsupported have moved to the front of the queue.”
Far from being discouraging, Sturzaker views this shift as an operational opportunity.
“In some ways that is encouraging, because those are things within a provider’s reach,” he stresses.
The blind spot in your executive dashboard
The most uncomfortable finding in the dataset isn’t that staff are burning out, it’s that many executive teams have no idea it’s happening until the exit interview.
Nearly one-third of providers (31%) admitted they’re simply unsure why their employees resign. Furthermore, just 35 per cent formally measure staff morale on a regular basis, while 34 per cent check in only occasionally.
Sturzaker doesn’t view this as a failure of intent, but as a symptom of operational strain.
“That is not a criticism, it reflects how stretched teams are, but it does suggest the first step in retention is getting visibility of the pattern,” he explains.
Currently, only 19 per cent of aged care organisations consider themselves in a stable position regarding their workforce. 42 per cent report that attracting and keeping talent are equally difficult challenges right now.
Retention is written into the roster
If providers want to stop the exit flow, they have to stop viewing turnover as an HR crisis and start managing it as an operational data problem.
Tyler Fisher, Head of Data and Insights at Mirus Australia, argues that employee fatigue leaves clear operational tracks long before an employee hands in their notice.
“Workload, burnout and feeling undervalued all show up in the roster long before they show up in a resignation letter,” Fisher highlights. “Unfilled shifts, repeat overtime, the same people carrying the load week after week.”
For executive teams navigating continuous reform, fixing roster strain is the single most effective lever available.
“Providers who can see those patterns can fix the workload before it costs them the person,” Fisher says. “Looking after the people already with you is the strongest workforce strategy available.”
