Australia’s migration debate has focused on housing affordability, population growth and the cost of living. But for aged care providers, particularly those in regional and rural Australia, there’s another immense factor to consider. If Australia makes it harder to recruit internationally, who fills the roster?
The Federal Opposition’s proposal to reduce net overseas migration has reignited the national conversation about immigration. And, while the policy is aimed at easing pressure on housing and infrastructure, providers are asking what it could mean for a sector already struggling to find enough workers.
The numbers that demand attention
More than half (51%) of Australia’s residential aged care workforce was born overseas, while recent workforce surveys found temporary residents make up a significant proportion of nursing and personal care staff. At the same time, the Regional Australia Institute reported 4,703 advertised vacancies for carers and aides across regional Australia in August alone.
International recruitment specialist Sam Freeman says those workforce shortages have changed significantly in recent years.
“When we started, almost all of the demand was for registered nurses,” he said.
“Now we’re seeing much stronger demand for personal care workers, particularly from regional providers.”
Rather than recruiting one or two workers at a time, some providers are now looking to bring in groups of five, 10 or even 15 carers to support expanding services or address persistent vacancies.
The regional workforce is already stretched
“In regional areas, if the person isn’t already there and qualified, there’s nobody new,” Freeman said.
He is quick to point out that international recruitment is not a silver bullet.
Growing Australia’s domestic workforce through training, TAFE and improved career pathways remains essential. But those initiatives take years to produce qualified workers. International recruitment, he says, has become one practical way to help providers bridge the gap while those longer-term solutions develop.
A global competition
Healthcare workers now have many international options, with Australia competing against destinations including Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
For providers, that means they’re no longer simply competing for staff locally. They’re competing internationally for workers who often have multiple employment options.
Freeman believes another overlooked issue is the role families play in workforce retention. Recent political discussion has included suggestions that some visa holders may face tighter restrictions on bringing family members to Australia. He says this will have unintended consequences for regional aged care.
More than just the worker
Workers who relocate with a partner and children are more likely to settle, build community connections and remain with an employer for the long term. Their family members also frequently fill non-clinical roles that regional providers struggle to recruit locally, including cleaning, catering, laundry and maintenance positions.
Restricting families, Freeman says, wouldn’t simply reduce migration numbers. It could make it harder for regional providers to retain the workforce they already have.
None of this suggests migration should replace domestic workforce development.
Australia will continue to need stronger local training pathways, better retention strategies and more people choosing careers in aged care.
But while those pipelines take shape, providers still need enough qualified people to care for older Australians today.
Immigration policy isn’t aged care policy. But for providers trying to fill next month’s roster, the two are becoming difficult to separate.
