Labour Market Research – Health Professionals

Northern TerritoryJune 2016

Labour Economics Office Northern Territory

Department of Employment Page 1

Occupations in cluster / Rating
2346-11
2512-11 / Medical Laboratory Scientist
Medical Diagnostic Radiographer / Assessed at the national level - No Shortage
Shortage
2512-14 / Sonographer / Shortage
2514-11
2515-11,13
2524-11
2525-11
2527-12 / Optometrist
Hospital & Retail Pharmacist
Occupational Therapist
Physiotherapist
Speech Pathologist / Shortage
Shortage
Shortage
Shortage
Assessed at the national level - Shortage

Note: for Occupations assessed at the national level, separate rating not available for the Northern Territory.

Key issues

  • Research conducted for health professionals in 2016 shows all occupations to be in shortage in the Northern Territory compared to a shortage across 75 per cent of occupations in 2015.
  • Recruitment for all professions in this cluster, with the exception of medical diagnostic radiographer and optometrist, was more difficult in 2016 than in 2015, with a lower percentage of vacancies filled and lower numbers of suitable applicants.
  • Employers in regional areas had less difficulty in filling their vacancies than employers in metropolitan areas and attracted a larger number of suitable applicants.

Survey results

  • Across the eight occupations, 42 per cent of vacancies for health professions were filled, attracting an average of 2.2 applicants per vacancy with1.7 of these qualified and 1 considered suitable. These are all lower than 2015 research results.
  • Although 98 per cent of vacancies required qualifications, only 67 per cent of applicants were formally qualified.
  • 56 per cent of the surveyed vacancies were in the metropolitan region and 44 per cent were in regional areas of the Northern Territory.
  • In the metropolitan region:
  • 31 per cent of vacancies were filled, down 17 per cent from 2015;
  • there were 2.3 applicants per vacancy and 0.8 suitable applicants per vacancy, adecrease in both applicant numbers and suitability from the2015survey.
  • In regional areas:
  • 56 per cent of vacancies were filled compared to 61 per cent reported in 2015
  • there were two applicants per vacancy and 1.4 considered suitable.
  • At the occupational level, with the exception of speech pathologist and occupational therapist, there was less than one suitable applicant.
  • Most employers were seeking qualified and experienced applicants with most occupations also requiring some form of professional registration with the relevant National Board for Health Practitioners.
  • Pharmacists and sonographers attracted the lowest number of suitable applicants per vacancy (0.3) of any occupations in this cluster.
  • Medical laboratory scientists and speech pathologists attracted the highest number of suitable applicants per vacancy, however, these were assessed at the broader national level and labour market ratings for the Northern Territory only are not available.

Figure 1: Proportion of vacancies filled (%), average number of applicants and suitable applicants per vacancy (no.), Health professions, Northern Territory, 2007-08 to 2015-16
Source: Survey of Employers who have Recently Advertised.
Note: Occupational coverage varies over time series.

Reasons applicants were unsuitable

The main reasons cited for applicants being considered unsuitable were a lack of:

  • Australian recognised qualifications and registration with the relevant National Board and Accreditation authority for health practitioners;
  • post-graduate experience;
  • specialised skills or experience such as injury management and case management;
  • experience working in remote locations and an awareness of Indigenous culture and health issues;
  • commitment to relocate to the Northern Territory where required.

Demand and supply trends

  • Demand for health professionals is primarily influenced by demographic trends and the utilisation of health care services.
  • Medicare Australia data shows the number of health services relating to these occupations utilised and provided in the Northern Territory increased from 215,193 in the June 2015 financial year to 226,325 in the June 2016 financial year, a 5.2per cent increase over the 12 month period.[1]
  • Employers in the Northern Territory are reliant on interstate applicants who may not accept offers due to salary disparities, family commitments or the higher costs of living. This creates a shortage in the market.
  • Registrant data for the National Boards of Australia and listed with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for these occupations (with their principle place of practice in the Northern Territory) was substantially lower than labour force employment data for each occupation, excluding radiographers. This supports employer feedback that the health professionals workforce in the Territory is supplemented by a substantial interstate workforce.
  • The registrant data for the National Boards of Australia and listed with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for these occupations recorded 743 practitioners with their principle place of practice in the Northern Territory in 2016. This represents an 11.3 per cent increase in practicing members over the past 12 months.[2]
  • Occupational supply for health professionals is reliant on university graduates completing their qualifications in the appropriate fields. Charles Darwin University provides training in Pharmacy, Health Sciences, Exercise and Sport Science which leads into pathways for entry into other institutions, such as Flinders University. For all other occupations, there is no specific training delivered in the Northern Territory.
  • According to the Department’s Internet Vacancy Index (IVI) vacancies for health professionals in the Northern Territory has increased by 14.7 per cent over the year from 354 positions in 2015 to 406 in 2016.[3]

Other indicators and issues

  • Some employers noted an increase in time taken to fill vacancies and were meeting their business needs through the use of locum arrangements and short term contracts, to support through extended recruitment periods.
  • Most employers noted their difficulties in attracting suitable applicants to take up positions in the Northern Territory due to higher cost of living, an inability to offer relocation assistance or competitive salaries.
  • The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will progressively roll out across the Northern Territory from July 2016 and is likely to result in increased demand on health related services.

Labour Economics Office Northern Territory

Department of Employment Page 1

[1] Medicare Australia statistics, Department of Human Services, by group. This data includes Optometrical consultations, diagnostic imagining services, Miscellaneous Services – Allied Health, M3.

[2] Occupation Boards of Australia registrant data, March 2016, published May 2016 on Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

[3] Department of Employment, Internet Vacancy Index, June 2016, 12 moving average.