Medical and Nursing Workforce Reports 2008

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released two new reports:

Nursing and midwifery labour force 2008 - In 2008 the total number of registered and enrolled nurses estimated by the Nursing and Midwifery Labour Force Survey was 312,736, an increase of 10.6% since 2004. The nursing workforce continued to age between 1997 and 2008; the proportion of nurses aged 50 years or over increased from 18.9% to 34.4%. The number of full time equivalent nurses per 100,000 population increased by 15.2 % between 2004 and 2008, and the profession continued to be predominantly female, with females comprising 91% of employed nurses in 2008. (AIHW catalogue number (AUS 130)

Medical labour force 2008 - The supply of employed medical practitioners increased between 2004 and 2008, from 283 to 304 full-time equivalent practitioners per 100,000 population. The increase reflected a 20.5% rise in practitioner numbers. The gender balance continued to shift, with women making up 35% of practitioners in 2008 compared to 33% in 2004. The average hours worked by male practitioners declined from 47.1 to 45.4 hours, while hours worked by female practitioners changed marginally from 37.6 to 37.7 hours. (AIHW catalogue number (AUS 131)