carecareers is a NSW government-funded initiative launched to help job seekers connect with the thousands of opportunities in the care sector, and to provide career advice, including what transferrable skills are useful and what on-the-job-training is available.

Job opportunities in the disability and community care sector are booming; employers in this sector are looking to recruit up to 10,000 people in the next five years – because the number of people who require some form of paid-care is expected to rise to 380,000.

There is a need to recruit people across a wide range of positions including:physiotherapists, speech pathologists, frontline support workers, gardeners, drivers and cooks, as well as executive staff and accountants, marketing, human resources professionals.

Research commissioned by carecareers shows:

More than half of Australian workers (52%) have considered changing careers in the past five years. (57% women, 49% men)

Almost two-thirds of people aged 18-34 have considered a career change in the past five years.

More than half of Australian workers consider the disability and community care sector provides rewarding work. Of the industries surveyed, disability and community care also ranked highest for its respect for workers (35%).

Overview of career changers attracted to work in the sector:

The most common reason given by people looking for a change of career is that they are “looking for a more satisfying and fulfilling career”.

Career changers come from a wide variety of industry sectors with the three largest being retail/sales (23%), administration (12%) and hospitality (14%) industries.

The majority of career changers are women, with an average age of 34.

What has carecareers achieved in the past 12 months?

More than 10,000 job applications for positions have been made through the carecareers service in the past 12 months, an increase of 50% on the previous year.

More than 300 employers across NSW have registered to use carecareers to attract a range of workers in the sector since it launched (January 2010).

The carecareers advisory-service team have spoken personally with thousands of people considering a career in the sector.

What are the benefits of a ‘carecareer’?

There has never been a better time to explore a career in the disability and community care sector. Employment is booming, with 10,000 more people needed to fill a wide variety of roles over the next five years.

Work within the disability and community care sector offers employees flexible working hours, on-the-job training, and employment security, with the demand for staff increasing as the sector booms.

One area of significant job growth in the sector will involve allied health professionals, especially in rural and regional communities. Increasing specialisation of allied health professionals, combined with sector-wide increases in demand for services and a greater focus on recruitment and retention are fuelling demand for these professionals.

Recent research found more than half of respondents recognised the disability and community care sector as providing rewarding work, far ahead of major industry sectors including retail, mining and manufacturing. [Source: Essential Poll, April 2012]

Via EPR Network
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