ANZSCO 2524-11 Northern Territory
Occupational Therapist June 2017
Labour Economics Office Northern Territory
Department of Employment
Current labour market rating No Shortage
Previous labour market rating (June 2016) Shortage
Comments
Current research indicates the labour supply of Occupational Therapists has improved from previous years, and while there is increasing demand employers have been able to fill available vacancies.
Survey results
· In this year’s survey, 85 per cent of vacancies were filled within the survey period, an increase from the 40 per cent reported in the 2016 survey.
o Both metropolitan and regional fill rates increased this year. The metropolitan fill rate increased to 88 per cent from 40 per cent and regional fill rates to 80 per cent from 67 per cent as reported in 2016.
o 93 per cent of applicants were qualified for these positions.
· Overall, there were an average 3.0 applicants per vacancy, with an average of 1.2 applicants per vacancy considered suitable by employers. This is a decrease from the 2016 survey, which reported an average of 4.4 applicants for each vacancy and 2.2 applicants per vacancy considered suitable.
· Vacancies in the metropolitan region accounted for 61.5 per cent of vacancies.
o There were 3.4 applicants per vacancy with 1.3 applicants per vacancy considered suitable.
o 90 per cent of applicants for vacancies in the metropolitan region were qualified.
· Vacancies in regional locations accounted for 38.5 per cent of vacancies.
o There were 1.8 applicants per vacancy and 1.1 applicants per vacancy were considered suitable.
o All applicants were qualified.
· Employers were seeking fully qualified applicants with APHRA certification, clinical skills and experience relevant to the position and a commitment to relocate to the Northern Territory.
· Almost all Employers stated that location was a factor in not filling vacancies, with a majority of applicants coming from interstate or overseas.
Unsuitable applicants
· 54 per cent of qualified applicants were found unsuitable. The main reasons cited were:
o A lack of specific field experience, or specific experience, such as paediatric (children & families), rehabilitation or diverse caseload experience, eg. working in disability; and
o A lack of general level of experience, with some employers advising that they do not take on graduates as they require a minimum of 2 years of experience and as an employer they are not large enough to support training.
Demand and supply trends
· The highest employing industries for occupational therapists are Health Care and Social Assistance (49.4 per cent) and Public Administration and Safety (40.5 per cent).[1]
· The Health Care and Social Assistance Industry and Public Administration and Safety industries represent approximately 28 per cent of total employment in the Northern Territory but occupational therapists are a small proportion of the total employment. Nevertheless both these industries have experienced above average growth over several years and are projected to grow at an above average rate in the period between 2015 and 2020 (12.8 per cent and 10.8 per cent respectively). Nationally employment prospects for Occupational Therapists also remain strong, which suggests continued demand for the occupation and continued competition for Occupational Therapists across Australia.
· Advertised vacancies for occupational therapists in the Northern Territory while fluctuating have increased in the past two years, with a slight increase over the last 12 months to June 2017.[2]
· The Occupational Therapy Board of Australia registrant data for March 2017 recorded 174 practitioners with their principle place of in the Northern Territory.[3]
· The pathway to becoming an occupational therapist is through completion of an accredited program of study such as an undergraduate or a master’s entry-level course in Occupational Therapy and registration with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia.
· Currently Charles Darwin University (CDU) does not offer an approved program of study for Occupational Therapy in the NT. CDU does offer a Bachelor of Health Science which offers a specialist stream in occupational therapy designed to provide a pathway into the Master of Occupational Therapy offered by Flinders University.[4]
Other indicators and issues
· Occupational therapists in the Northern Territory work with clients in a variety of settings including both public and private hospitals, medical rehabilitation centres, community health centres, home care services, aged care facilities and independent living and respite centers.
· Demand for occupational therapists is expected to continue to increase as a result of the ageing population and the prevalence of chronic disease in the NT’s Indigenous populations.
Labour Economics Office Northern Territory
Department of Employment
[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011 Census Data, Northern Territory occupation data
[2] Department of Employment Internet Vacancy Index data, June 2016, 12 month moving average.
[3] Occupational Therapy Board of Australia registrant data, March 2016.
[4] Charles Darwin University, Course Catalogue 2016 and 2017