The number of employed nurses in Australia in 1999 was 221,988,
according to the latest figures released today by the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). This compares with 225,110
in 1994 and 222,211 in 1997.
Head of the AIHW's Labour Force and Rural Health Unit, Glenice
Taylor, noted that their workload had risen over recent years. 'In
Australia's public and private acute and psychiatric hospitals, the
number of separations per full-time equivalent (FTE) nurse
increased from 50.1 in 1995-96 to 53.3 in 1998-99', she said.
Over the decade to 1999 there was a substantial fall in the
percentage of (mostly TAFE-trained) enrolled nurses in the total
nursing workforce (from 24.0% down to 14.5%) compared with
degree-qualified registered nurses.
Nursing Labour Force 1999 also shows that over the
decade nursing numbers per 100,000 population had fallen in all
States and Territories, with the greatest falls occurring in
Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern
Territory.
For Victoria and South Australia, their larger falls could
mostly be attributed to declines in their relatively high
proportions of enrolled nurses over the period.
Ms Taylor said that, as with many other health occupations, the
nursing work force was getting older, but of 'potentially more
concern' was that the number of new entrants was likely to decline
over the next few years.
'In 1994, the average age of nurses was 39.1 years-this has now
shifted to 40.4 years in 1997,' Ms Taylor said. 'Meanwhile,
Australian students completing basic nursing courses fell by 20%
between 1994 and 1998.'
'Information from the Department of Employment, Workplace
Relations and Small Business shows that there are Australia-wide
shortages in most registered nurse occupations.'
Part-time nursing employment increased from 48.6% to 51.8%
between 1994 and 1997, resulting in a fall in the number of
full-time equivalent (FTE) nurses-from 104,200 in 1995-96 to
102,200 in 1996-97.
'By 1998-99, however, this number had increased back to over
104,000,' Ms Taylor said.
Other findings in Nursing Labour Force 1999
include:
- Between 1994 and 1997, the proportion of registered nurses
working outside the capital cities fell from 39% to 37%, while the
proportion of enrolled nurses working outside the capital cities
remained the same (50%).
- There were small increases in the proportions of registered and
enrolled male nurses between 1994 and 1997.
13 September 2001
Further information: Ms Glenice Taylor, AIHW,
tel. 02 6244 1153
Media copies of the report: Publications Officer,
AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability.