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released: 16 Oct 2009

In 2007, the total number of registered and enrolled nurses estimated by the Nursing and Midwifery Labour Force Survey was 305,834, an increase of 12% since 2003. The nursing workforce continued to age between 2003 and 2007; the proportion of nurses aged 50 years or over increased from 28% to 33%. The number of full time equivalent nurses per 100,000 population increased by 8% since 2003, and the profession continued to be predominantly female, with females comprising 90% of employed nurses in 2007.

ISSN 1327-4309; ISBN 978 1 74024 958 4; Cat. no. HWL 44; 68pp.; $25.00

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Publication table of contents

  • Preliminary material
    • Title and verso pages
    • Contents
    • Acknowledgments
    • Abbreviations
    • Summary (HTML) 1
  • Body section
    1. Introduction
      • 1.1 Nurses and midwives in Australia
      • 1.2 Data sources
      • 1.3 Additional information
    2. Registered and enrolled nurses
    3. Employed nurses
      • 3.1 Age and sex
      • 3.2 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses
      • 3.3 Country of first nursing qualification
      • 3.4 Working hours
      • 3.5 Hours worked in main and second jobs
    4. Nursing supply
    5. Regional comparisons
      • 5.1 Overview
      • 5.2 State and territory profiles
    6. Sources of new entrants and re-entrants to the nurse labour force
      • 6.1 Nurse training
      • 6.2 Nurse migration
      • 6.3 Nurses not employed in nursing
  • End matter
    • Appendixes
      • Appendix A: Explanatory notes on the Nursing and Midwifery Labour Force Survey
        • Background
        • Method
        • Scope and coverage
        • Response rate
      • Appendix B: Additional tables available from the AIHW website
        • Registered and enrolled nurses, registered nurses, enrolled nurses
    • Glossary
    • References
    • List of tables
    • List of figures

Recommended citation

AIHW 2009. Nursing and midwifery labour force 2007. Cat. no. HWL 44. Canberra: AIHW.