More young Australians now want to work in the healthcare industry than any other sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a job survey has found.
Skillsroad, a website that is backed by Business Australia and several chambers of commerce and provides career advice and employment information, surveyed 5,012 young Australians, with more than 75 percent aged 20 or younger between November and December 2021.
The survey showed that health care had become a top choice for young Australian job seekers, with one out of five desiring to start a career in the industry.
The next most popular sector after health care was education and training, with 12 percent of respondents expressing interest, followed by professional services at 11 percent.
According to industry experts, the pandemic has made health officials attract more public attention and put the healthcare industry in the spotlight.
“During the pandemic, we’ve seen some of these health sectors ‘up in lights,’ which you could call the rock-star effect,” said Daniel Hunter, chief executive of Business NSW, a peak pro-business organisation in the state of New South Wales.
National chief health officer Paul Kelly and his state counterparts have regularly appeared in the media due to their roles in the pandemic.
“Seeing high-profile people attracts people into the industry,” Hunter said.
In addition, he said that the surge in interest from young people was good news for the healthcare industry, which was struggling with staffing pressures and pandemic burnout.
The pandemic showed the public how important the role of healthcare workers was, and the shortage of staff in the industry scored points with job seekers who were looking for stable employment opportunities.
“There’s a high labour shortage in health care, and young people are attracted to industries that are stable with better long-term career prospects and promotion opportunities,” Hunter said.
“It’s an attractive industry because it also has meaning as you are helping people in their time of need, and young people are looking for that sense of purpose in their careers.”
At the same time, the survey pointed out that school leavers remained overwhelmed by the realities of online learning since nearly eight in ten respondents reported they were underprepared.
Additionally, around 70 percent of the young people surveyed were worried about their employment prospects, and nearly 50 percent were not confident about getting employed in their preferred industry.
Meanwhile, the Australian government has announced a $365.3 million ($US 274.4 million) investment to support an extra 35,000 apprentices and trainees getting into a job by extending the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements and Completing Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidies by three months to June 30.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the extension would add to the record number of Australians currently in trades training.
“By backing 385,000 apprentices in their training, we’re boosting the pipeline of workers Australia is going to need for a stronger economy and a stronger future.”
