Report on Health Employment and Economic Growth

This report discusses the shortage of health service providers in Australia and the policies that should be taken up by the government to maintain a balance between immigrant health workers and existing workers.

Running head: REPORT ON HEALTH EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS ECONOMIC GROWTH 1
High-level Commission report on Health Employment as well as Economic Growth

REPORT ON HEALTH EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS ECONOMIC GROWTH 2
Executive summary
Australia has an open policy for skilled professional immigrants in the country. The health
service industry in Australia is facing the problem of shortage of health service providers. in this
article, it is elaborately discussed the reason behind the shortage of health service providers in
Australia and what policies should be taken up by the Australian government to maintain a
balance between the immigrant health workers in the country and the existing workers.
The Existing health workers in Australia find it difficult to adjust with the immigrant skilled
health professionals. The proper way to fix the scarcity of health workers in Australia is
discussed in this article.

REPORT ON HEALTH EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS ECONOMIC GROWTH 3
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Dependence of Australia at present on international health worker immigration:..........................4
Current Australian government policies on international health worker immigration:...................5
Historical reasons for the development within Australia:...............................................................6
Are the current policies sustainable?...............................................................................................7
Changes required subduing the negative effects of migration of Healthcare professionals:...........8
How can the scarcity be fixed?........................................................................................................9
Conclusion:....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11
High-level Commission report on Health Employment as well as Economic Growth
Introduction
A migrant is considered as a person who moves from one place to another but within a country,
whereas an immigrant is a person who switches their native country and moves from one country
from another.
A new list of trained occupation has been declared on the immigration intake program by
Australia for 2017-18. From 1st July 2017, the new occupation list is to be effective in
Australia1.
Dependence of Australia at present on international health worker immigration
The point to be noticed is that health care combined with social assistance is very much in
demand in Australia. The healthcare industry is considered to be one of the largest industries in
Australia where more than 1.2 million people are employed within. It is approximately 11% of
1 Ford, M., & Kawashima, K. (2016). Regulatory approaches to managing skilled migration: Indonesian nurses in Japan. The
Economic and Labour Relations Review, 27(2), 231-247.Wickramasinghe, N., & Schaffer, J. L. (Eds.). (2018). Theories to
Inform Superior Health Informatics Research and Practice. Springer.

REPORT ON HEALTH EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS ECONOMIC GROWTH 4
the total workforce in Australia. The population of Australia according to the Australian Bureau
of Statistics is about was 25 million which has recorded a 62% growth in the past decade mostly
due to the phenomenon of immigration. This population growth was scheduled to be achieved
within 33 years2.
In 2012, a forecast was issued on behalf of the Australian government that there will be
insufficiency in the number of nurses in Australia in future. The shortage of nurses was
estimated to be around 109,000 by the end of the year 2025. Due to such scarcity, there will be a
growing dependence on international healthcare experts in Australia.
In the aged care sector, there were 216300 employees engaged in residential care services in
2013 according to a report of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The number of workers in
disability services and also in childcare estimated to be 35 6500. Nearly 80% of the health care
assistants comprised of women and 50% of these assistants were part-time workers.
The health care sector in Australia is struggling to retain the present workforce because the rate
is low in the healthcare industry and is unable to provide safe and secure opportunities for work
to the healthcare assistants3.
The opportunities for skilled immigrants in healthcare are increasingly becoming available in
Australia. Specifically, the demand for skilled nurses is very high in Australia. According to the
present number of the health workforce in Australia, there will be a shortage of more than
100000 nurses by the end of the year 2025.
In conformity with the organization for economic co-operation and development, the number of
domestically-trained doctors who migrated from Australia was around 47236 in 2007, 47525 in
2008, 49737 in 2009, 53503 in 2015 and 55727 in 2016.
World Health Organization (WHO) predicted in 2006 that the deficiency of health workers will
be nearly 4.3 million all over the world. The most affected countries will be the low-income
countries among which 57 countries will face a critical deficiency of health workers. Almost 36
Sub-Saharan African countries will be the worst hit nations. International migration of skilled
health professionals is considered to be the main reason behind the scarcity of health workers in
low-income countries4.
2 Wright, C. F., Clibborn, S., Piper, N., & Cini, N. (2016). Economic migration and Australia in the 21st century
3 Birrell, B. (2018). Australia’s skilled migration program: scarce skills not required. The Australian Population Research
Institute
4 Bablani, L. (2018). Three essays on skilled migration to Australia (Doctoral dissertation).

REPORT ON HEALTH EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS ECONOMIC GROWTH 5
Current Australian Government Policies on International Health Worker Immigration
Among the immigrant professionals in Australia, the following professionals are considered to
be related to the healthcare industry:
1. Physiotherapists.
2. Audiologists and speech-language pathologists.
3. Cardiopulmonary technologists.
4. Medical laboratory technologists.
5. Electrophysiological diagnostic technologists.
6. Medical sonographers and Cardiology technologists.
7. Occupational therapists.
8. Medical radiation technologists.
9. Respiratory therapists.
10. Medical laboratory technicians and assistants of pathologists.
Majority of healthcare immigrants belong to the above-mentioned categories. Greater the
educational qualification more is the probability of smooth immigration occurring. Experienced
health professionals with proficiency in English and French are in high demand. The
opportunities in the manufacturing sector in Australia are declining as the country has shifted its
focus on information technology. The policy related to immigration has become detailed and
flexible over time5.
Historical reasons for the development within Australia
In order to stimulate the overall economic growth, the Federal Government has understood the
importance of immigration level according to Robert Birrell. Along with the economic growth,
the growth in per capita in income is also very important for the Australians. Robert Birrell also
expressed concern that the increase in migration will decrease the opportunity of generating
profit for the existing professionals in Australia. The benefits will be diluted as the health
professionals are considered as non-renewable resources exported to the country. Immigrant
health professionals occupy a big share in the Australian economy.
5 Kingma, M. (2018). Nurses on the move: Migration and the global health care economy. Cornell University Press.

REPORT ON HEALTH EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS ECONOMIC GROWTH 6
List of occupations which are acceptable for immigration to Australia is preserved for the
policymakers6. According to some experts, the surge in immigration is also a reason for the
overburdened infrastructure.
Australia is a country with a low population and the negative growth in population is due to the
low birth rate which according to the experts can and has a negative impact on the Australian
economy. According to Peter Costello, the former Federal Treasurer, Australia will face scarcity
of labour force and hence become less competitive in the near future. The advancement in the
medical field has intensified the number of ageing population in Australia.
This condition has increased the demand for healthcare professionals and also social assistance
in Australia. The healthcare industry in Australia requires more number of caregivers and
nursing professionals to take care of the ageing people in Australia7.
The important question is whether the number of healthcare professionals required in Australia is
sufficient to fulfil the requirements. In accordance with WHO (World Health Organization),
“There is no single norm regarding the ‘optimum’ ratio of physicians or nurses to the
population.”
The important points which determine the requirement of healthcare professionals in Australia
are summarized in the following paragraphs.
The first one is the demand. The second one is supply and then productivity and priority
respectively.
Are the current policies sustainable?
The General Skilled Migration Program must be considered to understand the immigration
procedure in Australia. An Australian visa can be secured if the immigrants meet the basic
standards set in the General Skilled Migration Program. They are also required to pass the
Australian immigration Points Test along with employment skill assessment tests.
The General Skilled Immigration Program is for the skilled professionals who desire to migrate
to Australia without the sponsorship of an employer. The skilled occupation list is very
6 Rumsey, M., Thiessen, J., Buchan, J., & Daly, J. (2016). The consequences of English language testing for international health
professionals and students: An Australian case study. International journal of nursing studies, 54, 95-103.
7 Chun Tie, Y., Birks, M., & Mills, J. (2018). The experiences of internationally qualified registered nurses working in the
Australian healthcare system: An integrative literature review. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 29(3), 274-284.

REPORT ON HEALTH EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS ECONOMIC GROWTH 7
important in Australian immigration because it points out the demand for professionals in
various fields and sectors in Australia. The healthcare professionals, social assistance including
the nurse and managers of various welfare centres, and general practitioners are the top priority
in the immigrants' list in Australia8.
Australia is presently looking for nurses, doctors/physicians as well as specialists to complete
quotas for its trained workers as well as healthcare professionals programs. The Australian
immigration has never been more widespread as the federal government has disclosed plans to
familiarize more than a million foreign workers into the workforce within the next three years. If
you have been working in your field for several years and have all the essential qualifications,
now is a favourable time to apply.
Changes required for subduing the negative effects of migration of Healthcare
professionals
Extended or multiple shifts
Healthcare professionals in Australia are required to work for extended hours and also for
multiple sheets to cover up the dearth and paucity of healthcare professionals in the country. As
a result, various psychological and physical problems keep cropping up with healthcare
professionals in Australia.
Lack of healthcare professionals
The extra pressure on the existing healthcare professionals in Australian healthcare industries has
taken a toll on the motivation of healthcare professionals and many of them are leaving the
profession as they are unable to bear the stress. The remuneration they are getting is also not
sufficient in comparison to the occupational stress they are required to handle.
The surge of international Healthcare professionals
The scarcity in the Australian healthcare industry has opened a window of opportunity for
international healthcare professionals. The vacancies are generally filled up by the foreign
8 Chun Tie, Y., Birks, M., & Mills, J. (2018). The experiences of internationally qualified registered nurses working in the
Australian healthcare system: An integrative literature review. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 29(3), 274-284.

REPORT ON HEALTH EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS ECONOMIC GROWTH 8
general physicians, nurses and other caregivers. The conflict is between the domestic Australian
workforce and the foreign workforce in the healthcare industry is steadily rising.
Decline in the quality of service
The insufficiency of healthcare professionals has reduced the amount of time that should be
given to the patients in order to properly take care of them. They are required to attend to more
patients and hence the quality of healthcare services is also falling because of the scarcity of
doctors and healthcare professionals in Australia.
How can the scarcity be fixed?
There is no instant fix for mending the scarcity of health professionals in Australia. It is
considered that better remuneration and working conditions, as well as appraisals, will be an aid
in retaining and preserving the current healthcare professionals working in different healthcare
institutions in Australia. The present workforce will get the motivation and zeal to work in the
healthcare industries in Australia and will reevaluate their thought to leave the industry9.
In order to attract more skilled professionals as migrants, Australia has evolved its immigration
policy that was previously consistent for more than 65 years. Mainly the immigrant healthcare
professionals from the United Kingdom are being targeted by the Australian government. The
efficiency of UK migrants and their ability to work in coordination with the Australian
workforce have made them the favourite choice as immigrant healthcare professionals in
Australia.
According to the immigration policy of Australia, asylum seekers are barred from entering the
country as professional immigrants.
It is difficult to look after the interest of the patients and the employers of the healthcare
professionals at the same point of time; therefore, the Healthcare professionals often face the
dilemma of being loyal to the patients or loyal to the employers10.
9 Hunt L., Ramjan, L., McDonald, G., Koch, J., Baird, D., & Salamonson, Y. (2015). Nursing students' perspectives on the health
and healthcare issues of Australian Indigenous people. Nurse education today, 35(3), 461-467.
10 Kingma, M. (2018). Nurses on the move: Migration and the global health care economy. Cornell University Press.

REPORT ON HEALTH EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS ECONOMIC GROWTH 9
The countries from where the immigrant health professionals come to Australia also face the
shortage of health professionals. The immigrant skilled healthcare professionals are from the
developing countries where the need for Healthcare professionals in rural areas is high. Those
countries are required to address their shortcomings as well like managing the human resources
appropriately and creating a bond between the existing healthcare professionals and the
employers which will encourage them to offer their services in their native countries. The career
development opportunities need to be addressed urgently by the government of the
underdeveloped countries in order to retain their workforce and stop the migration of skilled
healthcare professionals to the developed countries like Australia11.
A compulsory service must be introduced by such countries in order to retain their workforce
and the visit of healthcare professionals to the rural areas is a must. This should be achieved in
order to balance the workforce migration to the developed countries from the developing
countries.
Conclusion
Therefore, it is an opportune moment to discourage the immigration of healthcare professionals
and thus avoid the dependency on other countries. Such an action will prove to be beneficial for
countries like Australia to minimize their dependence on other countries to supplement their own
workforce.
11 Wright, C. F., Clibborn, S., Piper, N., & Cini, N. (2016). Economic migration and Australia in the 21st century.

REPORT ON HEALTH EMPLOYMENT AS WELL AS ECONOMIC GROWTH 10
References
 Bablani, L. (2018). Three essays on skilled migration to Australia (Doctoral dissertation).
 Birrell, B. (2018). Australia’s skilled migration program: scarce skills not required. The
Australian Population Research Institute
 Chun Tie, Y., Birks, M., & Mills, J. (2018). The experiences of internationally qualified
registered nurses working in the Australian healthcare system: An integrative literature
review. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 29(3), 274-284.
 Ford, M., & Kawashima, K. (2016). Regulatory approaches to managing skilled
migration: Indonesian nurses in Japan. The Economic and Labour Relations
Review, 27(2), 231-247.Wickramasinghe, N., & Schaffer, J. L. (Eds.). (2018). Theories to
Inform Superior Health Informatics Research and Practice. Springer
 Hunt L., Ramjan, L., McDonald, G., Koch, J., Baird, D., & Salamonson, Y. (2015).
Nursing students' perspectives on the health and healthcare issues of Australian
Indigenous people. Nurse education today, 35(3), 461-467.
 Kingma, M. (2018). Nurses on the move: Migration and the global health care economy.
Cornell University Press.
 Rumsey, M., Thiessen, J., Buchan, J., & Daly, J. (2016). The consequences of English
language testing for international health professionals and students: An Australian case
study. International journal of nursing studies, 54, 95-103.
 Wright, C. F., Clibborn, S., Piper, N., & Cini, N. (2016). Economic migration and
Australia in the 21st century.