About the aged care workforce

Learn about aged care roles and services, and how we are strengthening the workforce to provide safe and high-quality care to older Australians.

Australia’s aged care workforce

There are around 456,000 aged care workers in Australia, covering:

For more details about the aged care workforce in Australia, see our  Aged Care Provider Workforce Survey 2023 results.

Roles and services

Aged care services are delivered by a range of workforce roles.

Direct care roles include:

  • nurses
  • support staff
  • medical practitioners
  • personal care workers
  • allied health practitioners and assistants. 

Non direct care roles include:

  • gardeners
  • cleaners
  • transport drivers
  • volunteers.

Regulation and screening requirements

The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission is the national regulator of aged care services.

The Code of Conduct for Aged Care outlines the standards of behaviour for approved providers, their aged care workers, volunteers and governing persons. The Aged Care Quality Safety Commission is responsible for enforcing the code.

Staff and volunteers who work in aged care setting must be eligible to provide care.  Learn about the screening requirements for the aged care workforce.

How we’re helping to grow the workforce

A skilled, diverse and valued workforce will provide safe and high-quality care for older people in Australia.

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety final report made recommendations to improve the aged care workforce. We have addressed these recommendations in initiatives aimed to:

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