The Australian nurse and midwifery workforce: Issues, developments and the future

Number of nursing professionals in each single year age range between 20 and 64, Australia, 2006. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2006 Census custom tables.

Percentage of all persons with a professional nursing qualification as their highest qualification at each year age 21–65 and over, who are working as nursing professionals, working in other occupations or not working, 2006. *Nursing qualification (ASCED Field of Education 0603) at bachelor degree (or equivalent) or higher (ACED Level of Education Classification). This includes the qualifications of registered nurses and midwives obtained in earlier years through hospital training or 3 year higher education diplomas. Source: ABS 2006 Census custom tables.

Percentages of all persons with professional nursing qualifications and of all employed nursing professionals aged 15–64 in each 10-year age range, 1989 and 2006. Note: Data should be taken as indicative only as the data was collected on a different basis in the two datasets. Source: 1989 data: Australian Bureau of Statistics (1990), p. 8; 2006 data: ABS 2006 Census custom tables.

Bachelor degree graduates working full time as a percentage of those available for full time employment, pre-registration nurse education, initial teacher education, and all fields of study, 1986–2000. Source: Graduate Careers Australia, various publications.

Pre-registration nurse education: undergraduate degree graduates available for full time work who were working full time, 1986–2006; domestic completions, 1993–2006. Source: Graduate Careers Australia, and Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).

Pre-registration nurse education completions, domestic, overseas and all students, actual 1994–2007, and projected 2007–2009, Australia. Source: Actual completions from DEEWR and projections from Preston (2006) p. 110.

Net movement in and out of Australia of nursing professionals, 1995–1996 to 2006–2007. Source: Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Net migration, pre-registration course completions, and total net additions to those in Australia with professional nursing and midwifery qualifications, 1995–2007. Source: Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations higher education statistics; Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Percentage of employed nursing professionals who were overseas 5 years earlier, states and territories, and Australia, 2006. Source: ABS 2006 Census custom tables.

Age profile of employed nursing professionals who were in Australia or overseas 5 years earlier, Australia, 2006. Source: ABS 2006 Census custom tables.

Percentage in each 5 year age range who are working 1–24h a week, all nursing professionals, and those living in Australia 5 years earlier and those living overseas 5 years earlier, 2006. Source: ABS 2006 Census custom tables.