Healthcare Job Index – March 2025
May 22, 2025
Every six months, we survey hiring managers from across the Australian healthcare sector, to learn more about how they attract, hire, and retain their teams as well as both their team’s and their patient’s confidence in the healthcare sector.
The start of 2025 has seen continued uncertainty, thanks in part to an uncertain economic climate. As well as changes to public sector healthcare funding, there have been shifts from locum to permanent roles as well as a reduction in overall hiring and announcements to ease the relocation of international healthcare candidates.
The results in this overview are based on a survey of Talent Quarter’s clients, undertaken by phone over the six months to March 2025.
Key insights
- 77% of respondents confirmed that the competitive job market is their biggest retention challenge with 69% also indicating staff burnout or stress as a key issue, up from 40% in the previous survey
- 1 in 4 hiring professionals believe that patient confidence in our health system is better than it was 6 months ago
- 1 in 4 respondents expect patient confidence in our healthcare system to go backwards over the next 12 months
- 72% of hiring professionals still report staff shortages
- 3 in 4 hiring professionals in public hospitals reported having a staff shortage
- 34% of facilities with a staff shortage don’t expect to hire more staff in the next 3 months
- Overall, 65% of hiring professionals expect to hire more staff during the next quarter
- 40% of hiring professionals are not allowed to use agency staff to fill temporary vacancies
- Over 66% of hiring managers consider the current job market to be challenging with not enough qualified candidates available
- On average, it takes just over 28 days to fill a vacant healthcare role
Patient Confidence in our health system is down
23% of hiring professionals believe that patient confidence in our healthcare system is better than it was 6 months ago, with 15% believing that confidence has gotten worse. Concerningly, these results show a fall in confidence from the preceding 6 months:
| September 2024 | March 2025 | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better | 25% | 23% | -2% |
| Worse | 15% | 21% | +7% |
| About the same | 40% | 43% | +3% |
Patient confidence in the Australian healthcare system may have declined over the past 6 months due to a mix of systemic pressures and high-profile issues. Here are some contributors:
- Staff shortages
- Longer wait times
- Bad news media stories
- Healthcare in general being politicised
Taking a forward-looking view, 31% expect patient confidence in our healthcare system to get better over the next year, which is 5% less than the previous period. Concerningly, almost 1 in 4 think that patient confidence will get worse, which is down from 1 in 5 during the previous period:
| September 2024 | March 2025 | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better | 36% | 31% | -5% |
| Worse | 19% | 24% | +5% |
| About the same | 33% | 37% | +4% |
| September 2024 | March 2025 | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | 36 | 41% | +5% |
| NT | 33 | 33% | No change |
| Qld | 40 | 42% | +2% |
| SA | 45 | 30% | -15% |
| Tas | 75 | 75% | No change |
| Vic | 57 | 37% | -20% |
| WA | 25 | 18% | -7% |
Confidence may be down not because Australians distrust healthcare professionals, but because they’re feeling the effects of a stretched system and worry it might not be there when they need it most, with Victoria experiencing the biggest impact with a significant drop in confidence over the last six months.
Staff Confidence in our health system is down
1 in 5 hiring professionals believe that staff confidence in our healthcare system is better than it was 6 months ago, but that is down from 1 in 4 during the last reporting period. Furthermore, respondents that believe staff confidence had gotten worse increased significantly:
| September 2024 | March 2025 | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better | 25% | 21% | -4% |
| Worse | 21% | 28% | +7% |
| About the same | 50% | 47% | -3% |
Amongst facilities with a staff shortage, hiring professionals were almost 20% more likely to indicate that staff confidence was lower than 6 months ago.
Looking ahead, over 36% expect staff confidence in our healthcare system to get better over the next year, whilst only 16% believe that staff confidence will get worse, although this number is a 6% increase on the previous period:
| September 2024 | March 2025 | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better | 40% | 36% | -4% |
| Worse | 10% | 16% | +6% |
| About the same | 43% | 42% | -1% |
1 in 5 of respondents that recruit for a public hospital indicated that staff confidence in our health system has reduced over the past 6 months, however, over the next 12 months, almost 44% of hiring managers expect this to improve.
Current confidence is a little better in the private sector, with 3 in 4 hiring managers stating that confidence is either better or has got no worse over the past 6 months and 33% expect this to get better over the next year.
Staff shortages continue
72% of hiring professionals surveyed confirmed that their facility had a staff shortage and of those, better than the previous period and 34% confirmed that despite ongoing shortages, they were unlikely to hire more staff during the next quarter.
| September 2024 | March 2025 | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 79% | 72% | -7% |
| No | 17% | 25% | +8% |
| Don’t know | 3% | 3% | No change |
21% of facilities with a current staff shortage don’t expect to hire more staff over the next 3 months:
74% of hiring professionals in public hospitals reported a staff shortage in comparison to 91% in the previous repotting period and 61% in private facilities. However, public hospitals are more likely to be able to use agency staff to fill temporary vacancies, with 80% of hiring managers confirming their access to agency staff when compared with 46% in private facilities.
Overall, 65% of hiring professionals are expecting to hire more staff during the next quarter.
| September 2024 | March 2025 | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Health | 88% | 74% | -13% |
| Nursing | 65% | 58% | -7% |
| Social care | 85% | 85% | No change |
Hiring remains challenging
Just under 47% of hiring professionals are planning to hire new staff themselves whilst 18% intend to rely mainly on the services of recruitment agencies. A further 35% or hiring managers intend to use a blended approach, filling some roles internally and some through agency support.
40% of survey respondents are currently unable to use agency support to fill temporary vacancies:
| September 2024 | March 2025 | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 66% | 57% | -6% |
| No | 34% | 40% | +6% |
Most hiring managers state that the current market is still competitive, with 66% indicating that there are not enough candidates available on the market:
| September 2024 | March 2025 | Variance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plentiful candidate supply | 3% | 4% | +1% |
| Enough candidates | 30% | 30% | No change |
| Neutral | 7% | 10% | +3% |
| Challenging candidate supply | 31% | 25% | -6% |
| Very challenging | 34% | 31% | -3% |
However, candidate supply is not even across the healthcare market with managers looking to hire allied health professionals finding the current market most challenging:
| Allied Health | 88% | 74% | -13% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing | 65% | 58% | -7% |
| Social care | 85% | 85% | No change |
Share this post
Every year, social care organisations across Australia wait for one key announcement that can significantly impact their workforce budgets, service delivery models and recruitment strategies. But First, What Does SCHADS Stand For? SCHADS stands for the: Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award - If you work in disability, community services, home care or social support, you've probably heard of the SCHADS Award . It's one of Australia's largest modern awards and sets the minimum employment conditions for hundreds of thousands of workers across the social care sector. The award is overseen by the Fair Work Commission and establishes the minimum standards employers must meet when employing eligible workers. Following the Fair Work Commission's 2026 Annual Wage Review decision, a 4.75% increase to SCHADS Award wages has been confirmed, with the new rates taking effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. For employers across the social care sector, attention is now turning to workforce planning, compliance and budgeting for the new financial year. It covers employees working in areas such as: Disability support Community services Home care Youth services Family support Crisis accommodation Social and community programs And it's not just base pay that may change. Any increase can also impact: Weekend penalties Casual loadings Overtime rates Public holiday payments Sleepover and shift allowances Industry Insight "As a recruiter working closely with the NFP sector, I welcome the 4.75% SCHADS increase. Better pay will help attract and retain the incredible people who dedicate their careers to supporting others. But many leaders are already asking the same question: where will the additional funding come from? The success of this change won't be measured by wage growth alone, but by whether organisations are given the resources to sustain it." - Greg Forster ( Senior Recruitment Specialist | Talent Quarter, 25+ years' experience recruiting leaders across the welfare, community, disability, aged care and mental health sectors). What Does This Mean for Employers? For providers across healthcare, disability and community services, staying on top of award changes is critical. Now is the time to: ✔ Review employee classifications ✔ Check payroll systems are up to date ✔ Budget for increased labour costs ✔ Ensure compliance across your workforce Getting it wrong can create significant compliance risks. But, getting it right helps protect both your organisation and your employees. The Bottom Line The SCHADS Award isn't just about wages. It's a key part of workforce compliance, employee retention and operational planning across Australia's care sector. With the wage increase now confirmed, organisations that prepare early will be best placed to manage costs, remain compliant and continue attracting quality talent in an increasingly competitive market. Need Support Navigating Workforce Changes? Whether you're preparing for SCHADS Award updates, planning for workforce growth, or looking to strengthen your recruitment strategy, having the right people in place has never been more important. At Talent Quarter, we partner with healthcare, disability, aged care and community service organisations across Australia to help solve workforce challenges before they impact service delivery. From permanent recruitment and workforce planning to sourcing hard-to-fill talent, our team understands the unique pressures facing the care sector. If you're reviewing your workforce needs for the new financial year, we'd love to have a conversation. Get in touch with our Talent Quarter team to discuss your hiring goals, workforce challenges and talent needs.
Here at Talent Quarter, providing quality support to both healthcare professionals and clients has always been a core part of how we work. Achieving ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems (QMS) certification with Certex is an important milestone that reflects the care, consistency and accountability we aim to bring to everything we do. As a healthcare recruitment and workforce solutions partner operating across Australia, Talent Quarter works closely with nurses, midwives, doctors, allied health professionals and social care workers across metro, regional and remote communities. What is ISO 9001 — and Why Does It Matter? ISO 9001 is an internationally recognised quality management standard designed to help organisations improve the way they operate, deliver services consistently and continually review how they can do things better. Rather than being a simple “tick-box” exercise, it requires businesses to build clear processes, strengthen accountability and create structured systems around risk management, documentation, communication and continuous improvement. Pursuing ISO 9001 certification gave the team an opportunity to strengthen and formalise many of the quality processes already in place across the business. As our organisation continues to grow and support more government and healthcare partners, having a recognised framework helps ensure services remain consistent, compliant and people-focused. The certification journey involved reviewing internal systems, refining documentation and improving visibility across processes and responsibilities. While it required time and collaboration across teams, it also created valuable opportunities to improve the way Talent Quarter works internally and supports its clients and candidates externally. Shannon O’Fionnagain, Executive Head of Operational Strategy & Governance at Talent Quarter, shared: “It strengthens customer confidence, supports improved customer satisfaction, and reinforces our culture of continuous improvement.” Certex’s collaborative and industry-informed approach played a key role throughout the process, helping ensure the certification journey remained both practical and aligned with Talent Quarter’s operational environment. For us, this certification is not just about achieving a standard - it’s about continuing to build trust, improve experiences and support healthcare communities with care and consistency.
In healthcare, aged care and community services, compliance is often treated like a checklist. Documents collected. Boxes ticked. Systems updated. But in reality, compliance isn’t a process. It’s a risk strategy. And right now, too many organisations are still managing it like an admin task. Across the sector, the same patterns show up: Credentials checked once, then assumed to stay valid Visa and work rights confirmed at onboarding, but not monitored Manual systems used to track expiry dates Last-minute scrambles when gaps are uncovered Mounting pressure during audits and reviews None of this is actually intentional. But it creates exposure and in our sector, that exposure directly impacts care quality, safety, and trust. Moving beyond “point-in-time” compliance A worker who was compliant three months ago… isn’t necessarily compliant today. Registrations change, documents expire and visa conditions evolve. If compliance isn’t actively monitored, gaps will appear. It’s not a question of if, it’s when. The cost of getting it wrong This isn’t just theoretical. It shows up in very real ways: Failed audits and costly remediation Regulatory penalties Service disruption and cancelled shifts Increased admin burden Reputational damage across clients and communities And most importantly, it introduces risk into environments where there is no room for error. What we’re seeing Through our work across Australia, one thing is clear: Most providers don’t lack intent, they lack systems designed to eliminate gaps. Because managing compliance… isn’t the same as controlling it. A different approach: Zero-Gap Compliance At Talent Quarter, we’ve shifted away from “point-in-time” compliance to a model of continuous compliance . We call it Zero-Gap Compliance - a system designed to remove the opportunity for gaps to exist in the first place. It’s built on a few simple principles: No clearance, no placement Continuous, real-time monitoring (not one-off checks) Verified visa status and work rights Automated alerts before issues become risks Full audit visibility across every worker If something isn’t current, verified, and compliant, it simply doesn’t go. What this delivers Reduced organisational risk Stronger governance More reliable workforce coverage Protection of care quality And ultimately, confidence that the workforce you rely on is exactly what it should be. There’s a simple rule we apply: If there’s a gap, we don’t place. No exceptions. No workarounds. No risk passed on.
