1. Increase supply of priority roles

Workforce shortages

Growing demand for workers, coupled with constraints on workforce availability, mean there is strong competition for workers and occupational shortages in many industries. This is more acute in regional communities⁶ .

Victoria’s population is projected to grow by 23% between 2022 and 2032, from 6.71 million to 8.24 million people. To support population growth and high-quality care, Victoria’s health services are also growing. In 2022, the Victorian Government committed more than $12 billion in investment to put patients first through more staff, better hospitals and first-class care.

Demand for healthcare workers continues to increase. Workforce projections show that, if historical growth continues, numerous roles will experience significant workforce shortages. This is particularly the case for allied health roles, which have seen large increases in demand since the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Many factors contribute to demand growth, including population demographics and policy settings. Understanding demand growth will help us lay the foundation for future workforce needs now.

Each role, setting and professional group has its own nuances. Some roles are high-priority because of a lack of people wanting to study or perform them, some are in emerging growth areas, and others have significant shortages in particular locations.

For Victoria to meet everyone’s healthcare needs, we need the right number of healthcare workers, with the right skills, in the right place. We will ensure Victoria has the workforce it needs to deliver world-class health services to all Victorians.

To achieve this, we will:

• promote careers in the health sector
• develop new pathways for people to train or retrain in priority roles projected to have capacity issues
• develop targeted workforce strategies for these roles to give greater insight into the numbers, future capabilities and distribution.

I would want to see a continual attraction to the profession by people who see themselves progressing through a health career.

Building workforce supply to meet changing community needs

The number of healthcare workers in most disciplines has increased over recent years. Between 2017 and 2022, clinical and clinical support staff numbers at Victorian public hospitals rose by almost 20,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, an increase of more than 30%.

Despite this growth, supply and distribution challenges are expected to persist in many professions. This includes nurses, general practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and podiatrists.

This is a worldwide challenge. The World Health Organization estimates a global shortfall of 10 million health workers by 2030, which will intensify competition for skilled professionals.

As we grow our workforce, we also need to promote equitable distribution of skilled healthcare workers to the specialties and locations needed to increase sustainability.

This will reduce our reliance on international medical graduates (IMGs), locums and other supplementary workforces to ensure continuity of care for Victorians.

The health sector is also in strong competition for non-clinical workforces that support the health system in its day-to-day functions, such as service management, digital, data, finance, and human resources. As the clinical workforce grows, we also need to ensure they are supported by the essential non-clinical workforces that enable them to perform to the top of their scope.

To achieve this, we will develop targeted strategies to attract more healthcare workers to priority roles and improve career pathways. These will support new employees as well as the re-entry or reskilling of former and current staff.

Across Australia, more than 3,000 international students of medicine and nursing alone graduate each year.

Ensuring parity in postgraduate employment outcomes and creating career pathways that maximise employment of these valuable workforces is imperative to bolstering workforce supply and positioning Victoria as an employer of choice.

We will develop and promote the roles available in the health system. This includes encouraging prospective students and jobseekers into training opportunities and positions for which we know we need more people.

As we grow, we will work collaboratively across the sector to increase the participation of under-represented groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and ensure Victoria’s health workforce is increasingly reflective of the multicultural community we serve.

Health is a sector where people can work the rest of their life across multiple roles.

Action areas

The following activities will be delivered in the short term, from 2024–2026.

Medium-term reforms

• Lift public awareness of the diverse career opportunities available in the health sector, including less-visible health professions.
• Guide career pathways through contemporary self-directed career planning tools and targeted marketing to potential talent segments including new entrants and re-entrants.
• Continue to develop targeted workforce strategies that address the unique challenges and opportunities for each role, to support optimal workforce supply and distribution.
• Outline structured plans and initiatives for growing targeted workforces, including training and development pathways, alternative workforce approaches, and recruitment and retention.
• Build professional development opportunities that support career pathways and lifelong learning.
• Expand structured programs such as formal education, work experience, clinical placements, and mentoring.

Long-term reforms

• Establish new approaches to acquiring health qualifications, including working with the education sector to recognise prior learning and reduce the time to competency for professionals seeking to develop in, or transition to, different disciplines.