Delivering on a 10-month-old campaign promise to visit an aged care facility by Chancellor Angela Merkel has thrown a media spotlight on similarities between Germany and Australia’s residential aged care.
The first resident comment she received was “the food’s terrible here”.
They have a major workforce challenge, with 15,000 care positions vacant and not able to be filled.
On average it takes 171 days to fill a vacant position. For every 100 open jobs there are only 21 jobseekers, down to 13 in Saxony. The pay is $21 an hour.
The Health Minister Jens Spahn is now considering recruitment abroad with Kosovo and Albania the likely target countries.
He says the future requires “those in need of care will be the ones footing the bill”.
How close is this future for Australia? Canada already has a permanent residency option where an immigrant signs a contract to live in a private home providing care support for 3,000 hours.
Taiwan is recruiting in the Philippines, Japan and Korea.
