Workforce shortages? Aged care operators shock overseas recruiter
Employing aged care workers from overseas is well-established internationally, yet many Australian aged care operators are cautious about adopting the practice.
Sarah Thapa is Founder and Managing Director of The Migration Agency, an Australian agency recruiting RNs and personal care workers (PCWs) primarily from India, but also from the Philippines and Sri Lanka.
The Agency targets pooling of 600 job-ready candidates over the next 24 months, but says demand for overseas aged care workers has cooled.
In 2024, aged care operators were “signing up on the spot anywhere from 10 to 50 nurses to fill their roster,” Sarah told The Weekly SOURCE.
Since then, Sarah has noticed that demand has softened.
The Albanese Government estimates aged care workforce shortages of 22,000 this financial year, nearly doubling to 40,000 in five years.
Operators are risk-averse
The Migration Agency has placed hundreds of workers since they commenced, and last year built a pool of 200 RN candidates from Kerala, India.
The response to these candidates was mixed, Sarah said.
“Some organisations took on 10 or 15 nurses in a cohort and it worked amazingly well. Others are still getting their heads around international recruitment and have perhaps a more risk-averse view to it,” she said.
In total, 50 of the workers were placed. Candidates not employed in Australia returned to the international jobs market, seeking work in Singapore, the Middle East, the UK, Ireland, or New Zealand, where foreign aged care workers have well established recruitment pathways.
The Migration Agency currently has 50 RNs on their books.
Agency costs slashed
David Brennan, CEO of Not For Profit aged care operator Huon Regional Care, based in Franklin, Tasmania, 45km south of Hobart, believes international recruitment is a sustainable solution to Australia’s aged care workforce shortage.
Huon Regional Care was spending $1.5 million per annum on agency staff, with hourly rates of up to $260.
Following a six-figure investment employing 10 staff from India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines through The Migration Agency, agency nursing now accounts for less than 8% of total salary costs.
David recommends aged care operators considering overseas recruitment be proactive, and begin by getting informed and gathering information.
“Map out your talent needs and understand your visa options,” he said. “Don’t wait too long to act.”
Caution about a common theme
Earlier this year, Talent Connect CEO Ben Cass also told The Weekly SOURCE that there is resistance among Australian HR teams to overseas recruitment.
Northern Territory Not For Profit aged care provider Australian Regional and Rural Community Services filled all vacant positions with 16 workers from Talent Connect’s Indonesian recruitment program.
But despite that success, Ben said HR teams tend to see overseas recruitment as complicated and expensive.
The programs
The Migration Agency recruits RNs and PCWs primarily from Kerala, south India.
The company puts prospective RNs and PCWs through English testing and prepares them for exams and registration in Australia.
They only accept RNs with three or five years’ experience and whose qualification is recognised by the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Authority (AHPRA).
The Migration Agency supports candidates as they sit the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCLEX) and Objective Structure Clinical Exam (OSCE) exams to achieve registration in Australia.
Workers are employed on Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements.
Byron Bay operator commits to new PCW stream
In February this year, Sarah created a new program with the National Skills Councils of India. India’s Beauty and Wellness Sector Skill Council provides qualifications equivalent to Australia’s Cert III in aged care. The Wellness Therapy for the Elderly is suitable for PCWs in Australia.
A Byron Bay aged care operator has already committed to piloting the program and will employ the program’s first cohort.
Investment pays off within six months
Employing staff overseas through The Migration Project costs providers around $25,000 per candidate, including recruitment, immigration, visa, temporary accommodation, and relocation support, Sarah said.
“We’ve had clients who calculate the ROI on that, and they see a benefit within three to six months of bringing on a new nurse,” she said.
International recruitment has long been recognised as a cost-effective response to workforce shortages, yet it remains a hurdle that many Australian aged care operators are reluctant to clear.
