What can we do to reduce the global shortage of midwives?
May 22, 2025
Despite the enormous impact of the role, there’s a global shortage of midwives. In Australia and beyond, workforce challenges, like burnout, underfunding, and a lack of training opportunities, are placing a strain on midwifery.
According to the WHO, the world faces a shortage of approximately 900,000 midwives. This shortage is most severe in low and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa and parts of South Asia, and globally, midwives make up less than 10% of the global reproductive, maternal, newborn and adolescent health workforce, despite the enormous contribution they make.
Addressing this gap is essential.
The global shortage of midwives is a critical public health and workforce issue that can be classified in several interrelated ways.
There is an insufficient number of trained and qualified midwives to meet the reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health needs of the global population. The shortage also exacerbates inequities in maternal and newborn care, particularly in rural, remote, and conflict-affected regions.
Underinvestment in midwifery limits access to skilled birth attendants, impacting national health outcomes and economic productivity. Investing in midwives is cost-effective and can yield a significant return in terms of lives saved and health system efficiency. Many countries lack adequate training programs, resources, and facilities to produce enough midwives, and the quality and duration of training vary widely, leading to both disparities in skill levels and recognition of midwifery as a profession.
In some countries, midwifery is undervalued or poorly integrated into national health systems and midwives may face poor working conditions, low pay, limited autonomy, and lack of career development, which hinders recruitment and retention.
The global shortage of midwives is not just a workforce problem, it’s a systemic issue that touches on gender equity, human rights, public health, and global development. Addressing it requires coordinated investment in training, regulation, funding, and respect for midwifery as a vital, life-saving profession.
Around the world, especially in less developed nations, we need more midwives, better supported, properly resourced, and fully integrated into healthcare systems. Their presence can transform birth from a clinical transaction to a holistic, empowering experience, yet solving this global shortage of midwives is likely to require innovative, scalable, and culturally appropriate solutions that go beyond traditional approaches, which could include:
Community midwife programs
Train people within their own communities to become midwives. This improves retention, builds trust, and reduces the urban–rural care gap
Mobile midwifery schools
Deploy training buses or portable clinics equipped with simulation tools, skilled trainers, and digital resources to rural or underserved areas.
A midwifery fellowship
International partnerships for short-term midwifery placements, where experienced midwives mentor teams in high-need areas.
Telemidwifery
Regional telehealth centres where midwives in remote areas can consult with doctors or specialists via video during complications or referrals.
Fast-track upskilling for RNs
Offer condensed midwifery certifications for existing nurses or auxiliary healthcare workers in communities with midwife gaps.
Midwifery micro-enterprise models
Empower midwives as community entrepreneurs with training in financial literacy, microfinancing, and small business skills, especially in less developed nations.
Incentivised public-private partnerships
Encourage private sector investment in midwifery education, tech tools, and rural deployment through tax incentives or public recognition.
More locally, we should invest more in midwifery education and training and improve both working conditions and career pathways, offer competitive salaries, benefits, and safe work environments as well as recognising midwifery as a distinct, autonomous profession.
In short, solving the global midwife shortage is not just about filling jobs, it’s about building a stronger, more equitable health system that empowers women, saves lives, and improves outcomes across generations.
Image credit: WaterAid and Shahriar Rupam
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.
