A wave of Filipino workers are breathing life into struggling regional towns, while helping older Australians stay and age in their own communities.
An enthusiastic team of almost 500 Filipino healthcare professionals are now working in 25 regional and remote Australian towns filling critical workforce gaps.
In Gilgandra, the council-run aged care facility, Cooee Lodge, faced challenges attracting new staff to the area.
As a result, the bill for casual agency staff was around $300,000 annually.
Many were focused on upskilling their qualifications, a step that not only helps them gain residency but also enables them to reunite with their families and build a new life in Australia.
Donna Dobson, Director Aged Care and Disability for Gilgandra Shire Council said the initiative has been incredibly successful.
"We are exploring the opportunity to employ an additional 10 international workers," she said.
"We are exploring the opportunity to employ an additional 10 international workers," she said.
The Filipino workers holding goodie bags standing in front of an Australian flag. Picture supplied
"In Germany and Japan aged care is in the press a lot as the population there is much older than in Australia," he said.
"Australia's problem is that we are lagging the rest of the world in sustainable immigration policy to solve the looming workforce crisis.
A Flilipino aged care worker helping feed an older resident. Picture supplied
"There's a huge problem in all these rich countries with shrinking workforces. This has led to the aged care dependency ratios reaching critical levels."
Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) CEO Tom Symondson said migration is a vital part of the workforce supply for aged care.
"There is currently a critical shortage of registered nurses in aged care. Modelling recently released by the Department of Health and Aged Care shows a shortfall of almost 6000 registered nurses in 2024-25," he said.
"However, migration is just one part of the puzzle for addressing systemic workforce supply issues in aged care. A multi-pronged approach is needed, including education, skills, training and incentives, such as housing, to attract and retain aged care workers."
The Filipino workers undergo training. Picture supplied
Previous research by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), shows there would be a shortfall of at least 110,000 direct-care workers by 2030. In a 2021 report, they estimated overseas workers made up around 30 per cent of the aged care workforce.
"While we can't rely on overseas workers alone, we know that they will continue to make up a significant part of the aged care workforce," Mr Symondson said.
Groworx Global now works almost exclusively in partnership with NSW and Queensland aged care providers to train offshore Filipino workers for critical roles in nursing, aged care support and allied health.
"The positive flow on effects for these communities is phenomenal. The workers are highly motivated and they want to build new lives in Australia, which translates into drastically improved worker retention quality and ROI," Mr Sandiford said
Australia’s aged care sector faces a growing workforce crisis, but international recruitment offers a scalable, sustainable solution for providers of all sizes.
With falling birth rates & aging societies, population collapse triggers a silent aged care crisis. International talent is eyed as a key solution for sustainable elderly care worldwide.
Leading aged care provider IRT implements innovative workforce strategy with Groworx International Recruitment Program by hiring Filipino care workers and nurses to overcome critical staffing shortages.
Written By: Ciara Bastow
Posted By: Daily Liberal
A wave of Filipino workers are breathing life into struggling regional towns, while helping older Australians stay and age in their own communities.
An enthusiastic team of almost 500 Filipino healthcare professionals are now working in 25 regional and remote Australian towns filling critical workforce gaps.
In Gilgandra, the council-run aged care facility, Cooee Lodge, faced challenges attracting new staff to the area.
As a result, the bill for casual agency staff was around $300,000 annually.
The local community warmly welcomed the new workers on their arrival, rallying together to organise group housing for the new residents, ensuring they felt comfortable and supported.
Many were focused on upskilling their qualifications, a step that not only helps them gain residency but also enables them to reunite with their families and build a new life in Australia.
Donna Dobson, Director Aged Care and Disability for Gilgandra Shire Council said the initiative has been incredibly successful.
"We are exploring the opportunity to employ an additional 10 international workers," she said.
"We are exploring the opportunity to employ an additional 10 international workers," she said.
The Filipino workers holding goodie bags standing in front of an Australian flag. Picture supplied
Australian International recruitment specialist Dan Sandiford, CEO of Groworx Global, says immigration is the only sustainable practical solution for our aged care sector's workforce crisis.
"In Germany and Japan aged care is in the press a lot as the population there is much older than in Australia," he said.
"Australia's problem is that we are lagging the rest of the world in sustainable immigration policy to solve the looming workforce crisis.
A Flilipino aged care worker helping feed an older resident. Picture supplied
"There's a huge problem in all these rich countries with shrinking workforces. This has led to the aged care dependency ratios reaching critical levels."
Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) CEO Tom Symondson said migration is a vital part of the workforce supply for aged care.
"There is currently a critical shortage of registered nurses in aged care. Modelling recently released by the Department of Health and Aged Care shows a shortfall of almost 6000 registered nurses in 2024-25," he said.
"However, migration is just one part of the puzzle for addressing systemic workforce supply issues in aged care. A multi-pronged approach is needed, including education, skills, training and incentives, such as housing, to attract and retain aged care workers."
The Filipino workers undergo training. Picture supplied
Previous research by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), shows there would be a shortfall of at least 110,000 direct-care workers by 2030. In a 2021 report, they estimated overseas workers made up around 30 per cent of the aged care workforce.
"While we can't rely on overseas workers alone, we know that they will continue to make up a significant part of the aged care workforce," Mr Symondson said.
Groworx Global now works almost exclusively in partnership with NSW and Queensland aged care providers to train offshore Filipino workers for critical roles in nursing, aged care support and allied health.
"The positive flow on effects for these communities is phenomenal. The workers are highly motivated and they want to build new lives in Australia, which translates into drastically improved worker retention quality and ROI," Mr Sandiford said
Mina Sandiford is an International Talent Leader at Groworx, a company revolutionizing the way healthcare providers solve staffing shortages through sustainable international recruitment.
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