Medical and Nursing workforce reports

The AIHW has just released two reports compiling workforce information from 2007.

Nursing and midwifery labour force 2007 reports that the total number of registered and enrolled nurses 305,834, an increase of 12% since 2003. In that time, 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% and the profession continued to be predominantly female, with females comprising 90% of employed nurses in 2007.

The Medical Labour force 2007 report found that supply of employed medical practitioners increased between 2003 and 2007, from 279 to 305 full-time equivalent practitioners per 100,000 population, which reflected a 20% rise in practitioner numbers. Women made up 34% of practitioners in 2007 compared to 32% in 2003. The average hours worked by male practitioners declined from 47.5 to 45.9 hours, while hours worked by female practitioners remained steady at 37.6 hours.