Tag Archives: Australia

Half Of Australian Workers Have Considered A Career Change In The Past Five Years Says carecareers

carecareers is a NSW government-funded initiative launched to help job seekers connect with the thousands of opportunities in the care sector, and to provide career advice, including what transferrable skills are useful and what on-the-job-training is available.

Job opportunities in the disability and community care sector are booming; employers in this sector are looking to recruit up to 10,000 people in the next five years – because the number of people who require some form of paid-care is expected to rise to 380,000.

There is a need to recruit people across a wide range of positions including:physiotherapists, speech pathologists, frontline support workers, gardeners, drivers and cooks, as well as executive staff and accountants, marketing, human resources professionals.

Research commissioned by carecareers shows:

More than half of Australian workers (52%) have considered changing careers in the past five years. (57% women, 49% men)

Almost two-thirds of people aged 18-34 have considered a career change in the past five years.

More than half of Australian workers consider the disability and community care sector provides rewarding work. Of the industries surveyed, disability and community care also ranked highest for its respect for workers (35%).

Overview of career changers attracted to work in the sector:

The most common reason given by people looking for a change of career is that they are “looking for a more satisfying and fulfilling career”.

Career changers come from a wide variety of industry sectors with the three largest being retail/sales (23%), administration (12%) and hospitality (14%) industries.

The majority of career changers are women, with an average age of 34.

What has carecareers achieved in the past 12 months?

More than 10,000 job applications for positions have been made through the carecareers service in the past 12 months, an increase of 50% on the previous year.

More than 300 employers across NSW have registered to use carecareers to attract a range of workers in the sector since it launched (January 2010).

The carecareers advisory-service team have spoken personally with thousands of people considering a career in the sector.

What are the benefits of a ‘carecareer’?

There has never been a better time to explore a career in the disability and community care sector. Employment is booming, with 10,000 more people needed to fill a wide variety of roles over the next five years.

Work within the disability and community care sector offers employees flexible working hours, on-the-job training, and employment security, with the demand for staff increasing as the sector booms.

One area of significant job growth in the sector will involve allied health professionals, especially in rural and regional communities. Increasing specialisation of allied health professionals, combined with sector-wide increases in demand for services and a greater focus on recruitment and retention are fuelling demand for these professionals.

Recent research found more than half of respondents recognised the disability and community care sector as providing rewarding work, far ahead of major industry sectors including retail, mining and manufacturing. [Source: Essential Poll, April 2012]

Via EPR Network
More Healthcare press releases

Jobs Boom In Illawarras Disability And Community Care Sector

The increasing demands of an ageing population and a rise in the numbers of individuals accessing disability services are driving a jobs boom in the disability and community care workforce, with up to an estimated 400 new workers needed in the Illawarra region by 2017.

The Health Care and Social Assistance sector became the biggest employer in both the Wollongong and wider Illawarra region in the year ending August 2011, overtaking Manufacturing, Retail, Public Administration and Education for local employment.

Mike Field, Project Manager, Workforce Recruitment at National Disability Services recently launched a television commercial aimed at promoting the benefits of a career in the sector. The commercial features the experiences of Talia Low, who has cerebral palsy, and the inspiring professionals who have helped support her journey to start high school.

“There has never been a better time to explore a career in the disability and community care sector. Employment is booming, with up to 10,000 new workers needed in NSW to fill a wide variety of roles providing support for more than 380,000 people by 2017,” Mr Field said.

“Recent research found that more than half the number of respondents recognised the disability and community care sector as providing rewarding work, far ahead of other major industry sectors including retail, mining and manufacturing.

“The sector offers a broad range of career choices, from speech pathologists and occupational therapists to drivers, gardeners and IT professionals. Students and young people, return-to-work parents and career changers will play a vital role in filling job vacancies and providing high-quality support services in the future.

“You can go online and take a quick picture-based career quiz to find out what type of job in the sector would suit you best,” he said.

Greenacres Disability Services CEO Stephen Beard said his organisation had supported carecareers since it began in 2009 and recruits staff through the website.

“The carecareers website and online tools are an asset to Greenacres Disability Serviceswhen it comes to recruiting new staff” Mr Beard said.

“A career with a disability or community care provider like Greenacres offers not only a rewarding career, but job security, flexibility and good opportunities for training and career advancement.”

“Greenacres currently supports more than 900 people in Wollongong, Shellharbour, Nowra and surrounding areas each week. We look forward to the challenge of attracting new workers and offering greater career opportunities in years to come.”

Via EPR Network
More Healthcare press releases