HWA Speech Pathologists in Focus
HWA Speech Pathologists in Focus
HWA Speech Pathologists in Focus
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Workforce Australia (HWA).
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Suggested citation: Health Workforce Australia 2014: Australia’s Health Workforce Series – Speech
Pathologists in Focus
Distribution ................................................................................................................................................................ 14
Differences between ABS Census data and SPA membership data .................................................................... 18
Students ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Immigration ............................................................................................................................................................... 22
What issues have stakeholders identified for the speech pathologist workforce? ............................................. 25
About HWA
Health Workforce Australia (HWA) is a Commonwealth statutory authority established to build a sustainable
health workforce that meets Australia’s healthcare needs. HWA leads the implementation of national and large
scale reform, working in collaboration with health and higher education sectors to address the critical priorities
of planning, training and reforming Australia’s health workforce.
Australia’s health system is facing significant challenges, including an ageing population and an ageing
health workforce; changing burden of disease, in particular a growing level of chronic disease; and increased
demand for health services with higher numbers of people requiring complex and long-term care. To
achieve HWA's goal of building a sustainable health workforce that meets Australia's health care needs,
health workforce planning is essential – and in health workforce planning, understanding the number and
characteristics of the existing health workforce is the essential first step.
Australia’s Health Workforce Series is designed to focus on describing particular professions, settings and
issues of interest to aid workforce planning. This issue of Australia’s Health Workforce Series examines
speech pathologists, bringing together available information to describe the speech pathologist workforce,
including number and characteristics, potential data sources to measure workforce activity, and an analysis
based on information presented.
1. What is a speech pathologist – a brief overview of the speech pathologist role and training
pathway, and descriptions of the key regulatory bodies and peak associations.
2. What is known about this workforce – presentation of data from different sources, describing the
size and characteristics of the workforce, student and migration inflows into the workforce, and
potential data sources that could be used to measure workforce activity.
3. What issues are expected to impact supply and/or demand for speech pathologists – a
summary of issues obtained through stakeholder consultation.
• establish the exact nature and severity of each client's communication or swallowing problems,
which may require the use of special diagnostic equipment and assessment tests
• plan and carry out treatment and management in accordance with best available evidence, taking
into account age, past and present social environment, and physical and intellectual abilities
• treat children who are unable to communicate effectively due to conditions such as cleft palate,
hearing loss, delayed speech or language development, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, or
emotional disturbances
• treat adults whose language, speech or voice has been affected by surgery, disease or disorders of
the nervous system, brain damage or hearing loss
• provide intervention and strategies for children and adults who have a stutter
• assess and treat infants, children and adults who have difficulty sucking, chewing and swallowing
• provide ongoing counselling, advice and information to clients and families as a part of overall
treatment
• provide public education for a population approach to early identification and intervention across
the lifespan.1
Speech pathologists can provide individual therapy, work in small groups, work within a classroom, become
involved in home-based programs, provide resources and information, and give advice and direction to
clients, their carers and other professionals.2
Speech pathologists work in a variety of settings, including early intervention, schools, hospitals, community
and rehabilitation centres, aged care facilities, mental health services, specialist centres, disability services
and in private practice.3
Certified Practising Speech Pathologist status can be earned by speech pathologists who meet the
requirements of Speech Pathology Australia’s Professional Self-Regulation program.
1
The Job Guide Website: http://jobguide.thegoodguides.com.au/occupation/Speech-Pathologist, Accessed 25 October 2012
2
Speech Pathology Australia website: http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/information-for-the-public/whatis-a-speech-
pathologist. Accessed 9 July 2013.
3
Ibid.
There are a number of speech pathology university courses offered throughout Australia. Speech Pathology
Australia (refer to ‘Regulatory bodies and associations) can accredit undergraduate and postgraduate
training courses against their competency based standards. Graduates who have completed a SPA-
accredited course are eligible for SPA membership.
Most employers in Australia require prospective employees to be eligible for Practising membership of
Speech Pathology Australia.
SPA is the national peak body for the speech pathology profession in Australia. SPA can accredit university
training courses against the competency-based occupational standards for speech pathologists. Speech
pathologists must have obtained their qualification from an accredited course to become a practising
member of SPA. SPA also conducts the assessment of overseas-trained speech pathologist’s skills for
equivalency with Australian-trained speech pathologist, for migration purposes.
The profession of speech pathology is not included in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme
(NRAS). However SPA has a self-regulation program in place, through which the clinical, professional and
ethical standards of members are regulated.
Practising membership of SPA is a requirement for Medicare provider status, private health fund provider
registration, and eligibility to provide services under a range of Commonwealth-funded and third-party
funding and insurance bodies.
• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census of Population and Housing (the Census).
The Census is a descriptive count of everyone who is in Australia on one night, and of their
dwellings. Its objective is to accurately measure the number and key characteristics of people who
are in Australia on census night, and of the dwellings in which they live. Information in the Census is
self-reported, meaning information is dependent on individuals’ understanding and interpretation of
the questions asked. For example, when reporting occupation, a person may self-report as working
in a particular occupation, but not necessarily be appropriately qualified/meet registration standards
(where a registrable profession). However, the Census is able to provide a picture of the changing
size and characteristics of the reported speech pathologist workforce, which is not currently available
through any other source.
• Department of Education (DE). DE conduct the Higher Education Statistics Collection, which
provides a range of information on the provision of higher education in all Australian universities.
Information on tertiary course commencements and completions by field of education is presented
in this publication. Cautions to note with the DE data include:
− Information may include courses allocated to the speech pathology field of study that are
not accredited by Speech Pathology Australia.
− The accuracy of coding courses to field of education is the responsibility of each university,
and is subject to the knowledge of those allocating the codes.
− Information includes combined courses where the course has been allocated to two fields of
education. Combined courses are courses designed to lead to a single combined award or
to meet the requirements of more than one award.
• Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP). DIBP information is administrative by-
product data, reporting the number of temporary and permanent visa applications granted to
speech pathologists.
• Speech Pathology Australia. SPA maintains an ongoing database of its members which records
demographic and practice details, including age, gender, location, country of entry-level
qualification, employment sector and area of specialty, as well as information on student
membership. Although membership information from SPA is more timely than Census information, it
is not mandatory for speech pathologists to be members of SPA to practise as a speech pathologist
in Australia.
Please note, information is presented for people who self-reported as employed speech pathologists in the
Census (regardless of level of education). This includes those people working for an employer or conducting
their own business, including those with their own incorporated company as well as sole traders,
partnerships and contractors. Also, the ABS randomly adjusts cells to avoid the release of confidential data,
so there can be slight discrepancies in totals when comparing Census.
The number of speech pathologists has grown from 1996 to 2011, with particularly strong growth (of 1,428
speech pathologists or 37 per cent) from 2006 to 2011 (Table 1).
Across all selected census years, almost all employed speech pathologists were female.
% increase
1996 2001 2006 2011
1996 to 2011
The speech pathology workforce has a young age profile, with less than 10 per cent of the workforce aged
55 years and over in 1996 and 2011 (Table 2).
1996 2011
Figures 2 to 5 below show a detailed age and gender breakdown of employed speech pathologists for the
selected census years. The female dominance of the workforce, and the large growth in the number of
females entering the workforce 2006 and 2011 can clearly be seen.
Figure 2: Number of employed speech pathologists Figure 3: Number of employed speech pathologists
by age and gender, 1996 by age and gender, 2001
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 1996 Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2001
Hours worked
Male speech pathologists average weekly hours worked were substantially higher than female average hours
in 1996 and 2011 (Figure 6). However this had little impact on overall average weekly hours worked due to
the low number of male speech pathologists.
Overall, there was little change in average weekly hours worked from 1996 to 2011 – falling by less than one
hour (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Employed speech pathologists, average weekly hours worked, 1996 and 2011
45
40.4
37.0
40
Average weekly hours worked
31.1
35
30.7
30.3
30.2
30
25
20
15
10
0
Male
Female
Persons
1996 2011
For females, changes in average weekly hours worked between 1996 and 2011 were minimal across most age
cohorts, except for those aged 55-64 and 65 and over (Figure 8). However, the same as males, these changes
should be considered with caution due to the small numbers in these groups. Due to the small numbers,
these changes also had little effect on overall average weekly hours worked.
Figure 7: Employed male speech pathologists by age Figure 8: Employed female speech pathologists by age and
and average hours worked, 1996 and 2011 average hours worked, 1996 and 2011
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 1996 and 2011 Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 1996 and 2011
Over the four selected census years, there were few employed speech pathologists of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander status (Table 3).
Table 3: Employed speech pathologists by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, 1996 to 2011
Non Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 2,329 2,986 3,848 5,278
(a) Includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status not stated.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 1996 to 2011.
Country of birth
In 1996 and 2011, most employed speech pathologists were born in Australia, followed by the United
Kingdom (Table 4). However, the percentage of those born in Australia fell slightly between 1996 and 2011
(down 1.8 percentage points) as did the percentage of those born in the United Kingdom (down 2.1
percentage points). This is a result of an increase in the number of speech pathologists born in other
countries such as Southern and East Africa and Maritime South-East Asia.
1996 2011
Southern and East Africa 59 2.5 Southern and East Africa 169 3.2
• the highest level of educational attainment is not necessarily in the field of speech pathology, and
• those that reported as a speech pathologist with lower than a bachelor degree are not eligible for
membership of SPA, and therefore would not be recognised as qualified to provide speech
pathology services by employers and government departments, including Medicare and the
Department of Veterans Affairs.
The only potential exception would be those that are overseas-trained speech pathologists who have been
assessed as having equivalent skills and qualifications as an Australian-trained speech pathologist; or
Australian-trained speech pathologists who qualified in past years before bachelor programs were
introduced.
Those people who reported only certificate level or secondary school training do not meet current
registration requirements and are unlikely to be currently registered as a speech pathologist.
Noting the above cautions, across the four selected Census years, most employed speech pathologists
reported a bachelor degree as their highest level of educational attainment. While employed speech
pathologists holding a bachelor degree experienced the greatest increase in numbers (up 2,292 from 1996
to 2011), those holding a postgraduate degree experienced the largest percentage increase (up 509
percent) over the same period. This is likely a result of a changing education pathway, now with the dual
entry pathway to becoming a speech pathologist.
Table 5: Number of employed speech pathologists by highest level of educational attainment, 1996 to 2011
Certificate 12 6 3 0
Year 12 or below 41 44 21 41
In 1996 and 2001, more speech pathologists were employed by state and territory governments than those
working in the private sector. However this changed in 2006 and 2011 – with more working in the private
sector than in state and territory governments (Table 6).
Local government 56 12 12 6
Table 6 shows Australia-wide, more speech pathologists worked in the private sector than in the public
sector in 2011. Table 7 shows that employment patterns in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia
influenced this result (with more speech pathologists working in the private sector), as in all other states and
territories, more speech pathologists were employed in the public sector than the private sector.
Tas. 0 78 0 53 131
NT 3 14 0 12 29
ACT 0 45 0 25 70
Industry of employment
In both 2006 and 2011, approximately three-quarters of speech pathologists were employed in health care
and social assistance industries (Table 8). Within this, similar percentages worked in hospitals (36 per cent),
and other allied health services (42 per cent), which includes speech pathology services in 2011. The 1,172
employed speech pathologists working in ‘other industries’ were predominantly employed in public
Administration and Safety and education and training.
Information from the Census on the distribution of the speech pathologist workforce is based on place of
usual residence, not place of work.
In 2011, the more populated states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland accounted for more than
three-quarters (78 per cent) of employed speech pathologists. On a number per 100,000 population basis,
the number of employed speech pathologists ranged from a high of 26.1 in Victoria to a low of 13 in the
Northern Territory.
The characteristics of speech pathologists were the same across all states and territories – almost all were
female and worked part-time hours (Table 9).
Table 9: Selected characteristics of employed speech pathologists by state and territory, 2006 and 2011
2011
No. per 100,000 population 22.6 26.1 23.3 25.1 22.9 25.4 13.0 18.5 23.7
Average hours worked 29.5 30.8 31.2 29.1 30.4 29.7 30.4 33.2 30.3
% female 97.9 97.1 97.3 96.1 98.1 96.2 100.0 100.0 97.5
2006
No. per 100,000 population 16.4 21.1 18.9 21.0 20.8 19.0 14.8 17.3 18.9
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2006 and 2011, ABS, Australian Demographic Statistics, Dec 2012, cat. no. 3101.0.
The remoteness area (RA) structure is a geographic classification system produced by the ABS and is used to
present regional data. The RA categories are defined in terms of the physical distance of a location from the
nearest urban centre (access to goods and services) based on population size.
Table 10 shows the distribution of employed speech pathologists across remoteness areas.
The percent of speech pathologists across remoteness areas was similar in 2006 and 2011, with
approximately:
Table 10: Selected characteristics of employed speech pathologists by state and territory, 2006 and 2011
2011
No. per 100,000 population 25.9 20.5 16.9 12.7 5.9 23.7
2006
No. per 100,000 population 20.3 17.6 13.6 10.2 8.2 18.9
(a) Care should be taken when interpreting the figures for Remote and Very remote areas due to the relatively small number of
employed speech pathologists who reported their usual residence was in these regions.
(b) Includes migratory and no usual residence.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2006 and 2011, ABS, Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2012, cat. no. 3218.0.
SPA data shows that as at 9 July 2014, there were 6,099 SPA members. Of these, nine in every ten members
(5,511 speech pathologists) held practising membership. A further 451 people held student membership
(Table 11).
Practising(a) 5,511
Student 451
Non-practising(b) 102
Other(c) 35
Total 6,099
(a) Includes Practising, Fellow - practising, Post-graduate student, Fellow - post-graduate student and Life membership types.
(b) Includes Non-practising and Fellow-non-practising membership types.
(c) Includes Alumnus, Associate, Fellow - alumnus and Re-entry membership types.
As at 9 July 2014, the average age of practising SPA members was 37 years.
2014
Average age 37
Almost all practising SPA members are female (Table 13), again consistent with Census data.
Table 13: Number of SPA practising members by state and territory, July 2014
Male 34 38 31 8 7 4 2 3 127
% female 97.8 97.3 97.4 98.0 98.7 96.0 100.0 96.0 97.6 97.7
SPA collects information on their members’ practice type. Of those members that reported their practice
type, those in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia reported working in private practice more
than public practice. In all other states and territories, more practising members reported working in public
practice only than in private practice only (Table 14).
Table 14: Number of SPA practising members by practice type, July 2014
Private practice only 885 578 438 140 259 24 12 12 n.a. 2,364
Public practice only 310 456 470 141 159 66 21 21 n.a. 1,648
Note: for those who reported practice type only, only one practice has been counted per member except for the dual private and
public.
The SPA and Census data show different numbers of speech pathologists working in Australia. Reasons for
this relate to the methodology and purpose of the collections. Census information is a descriptive count of
everyone who is in Australia on one night and information is self-reported by individuals completing the
Census form, while the SPA data is an administrative collection, with the primary purpose of maintaining an
up-to-date membership database of speech pathologists who have completed accredited courses and have
applied for membership of SPA. Census data captures everyone reporting their occupation as a speech
pathologist – regardless of level and type of qualification, while SPA information reflects the number of
speech pathologists who are members of the association, and do not reflect the total number of
professionals with speech pathology qualifications who may be living and working in Australia (noting that
SPA estimate that approximately 80 per cent of speech pathologists in Australia are members).
Due to the different methodologies and purpose of collections, differences between the two sources are
therefore likely to occur. For example, people may choose to maintain their practising SPA membership, but
are either not working or do not consider ‘speech pathologist’ to be their primary role at the time of the
Census.
There are currently two sources of information on speech pathology students in Australia – SPA and the
Department of Education. Information from both sources is presented in this section.
There are currently 15 universities offering 24 speech pathology programs across 19 locations in Australia.
Ten of these programs commenced in the last five years. Table 15 shows the number of students
commencing and expected to graduate from these programs in 2013 and 2014.
In 2014, approximately 1,300 students commenced speech pathology programs. This was an increase of
approximately 130 students from 2013, and according to SPA, more than a two-fold increase from an intake
of around 600 in the early 2000s.
Approximately 720 students were expected to graduate in 2014, the same as 2013.
4
Speech Pathology Australia, Speech Pathology Training and Workforce in Australia – an overview, June 2014
SA 108 98 78 80
WA 187 197 93 94
Tas. - - - -
NT - - - -
ACT - - - -
Source: Speech Pathology Australia, Speech Pathology Training and Workforce in Australia – an overview, June 2014
In this section, information on student commencements and completions in higher education courses
allocated to the speech pathology field of education is presented.
• Information may include courses allocated to the speech pathology field of education that are not
accredited by Speech Pathology Australia.
• The accuracy of coding courses to field of education is the responsibility of each university, and is
subject to the knowledge of those allocating the codes.
• Information includes combined courses where the course has been allocated to two fields of
education. Combined courses are courses designed to lead to a single combined award or to meet
the requirements of more than one award.
Table 16 shows the number of speech pathology student commencements increased year on year from 2008
to 2012.
Most students commenced Bachelor courses across the selected years. However those commencing a
postgraduate qualification increased at a greater rate (up 157 percent) than those commencing a bachelor
qualification (up 56 percent) from 2008 to 2012.
Table 16: Number of student commencements within the speech pathology field of education by gender,
2008 to 2012
Student completions
Similar trends are shown for speech pathology student completions as with commencements, with:
• An overall increase in completions over the period 2008 to 2012 (up 27 percent or 123 completions)
Immigration
Speech pathologists appear on the Skilled Occupation List and the Consolidated Skilled Occupation List.
This means that overseas-trained speech pathologists are eligible for permanent migration through the
skilled independent pathway or through sponsored pathways, including state and territory, regional and
employer sponsored pathways. They are also eligible for temporary migration through the Temporary
Business 457 visa.
Speech Pathology Australia (SPA) assesses the qualifications of overseas-trained speech pathologists for
migration purposes. Overseas-trained speech pathologists need to show they hold, or are eligible for,
current practising membership of SPA, including competence in the use of English within the Australian
clinical context. Two application processes exist:
2. A complete application – for those not eligible for the mutual recognition application.
All temporary visas granted to speech pathologists between 2005-06 and 2012-13 were in the 457 Temporary
Work (Skilled) category (Table 18). Although increasing across the period, the number of temporary visas
granted for speech pathologists is very low relative to the number in the workforce.
Visa Category 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Total 3 6 5 9 17 18 29 24
Table 19 shows the number of permanent visas granted to speech pathologists from 2005-06 to 2012-13. The
same as the temporary visa grants, the number of permanent visas granted for speech pathologists is very
low relative to the number in the workforce.
Table 19: Number of permanent visa grants by visa type, 2005-06 to 2012-13
Visa Category 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Total 19 15 10 21 27 29 31 44
(a) Includes Skilled Regional, Skilled Independent and State/Territory Sponsored visas.
Source: Department of Immigration and Border Protection administrative data.
Skills Australia flagged the speech pathology occupation as being borderline in terms of its inclusion on the
2013 Skilled Occupation List. This means this occupation may be removed in future years subject to
monitoring of the labour market, education and migration data and evidence from stakeholders in relation
to future oversupply issues, migration outcomes and areas of specific need.5 This would mean overseas-
trained speech pathologists would not be eligible to migrate to Australia under the skilled independent
pathway or through sponsored pathways, including the Temporary Business 457 visa.
5
Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency: http://www.awpa.gov.au/our-work/labour-market-information/skilled-occupation-
list/pages/flagged-occupations.aspx , Accessed 6 November 2013
• Speech pathology services can be rebated under many private health funds. Therefore Private
Health Insurance Administrative Council data is one source of information that can be used to
measure workforce activity. A limitation with this source is that services that can be claimed are likely
to be capped annually, so any services provided beyond that cap are not captured.
• Medicare is another data source. However Medicare rebates are only available for speech pathology
services provided to chronically ill people who are being managed by their general practitioner
under a chronic disease management plan, and to children through the ‘Helping children in Autism’
or ‘Better Start for Children with Disability’ programs. Sessions under these programs are capped, so
again, any services beyond those claimed are not captured.
• The Australian Bureau of Statistics collected information on the number of people consulting a
speech therapist/pathologist in the 2011-12 Australian Health Survey. However this is conducted
approximately every three years, and information can quickly out-of-date for workforce planning
purposes.
• Other sources of information that could be used to measure workforce activity for speech
pathologists include the Transport Accident Commission, Department of Veterans' Affairs and
WorkCover.
Despite the number of potential data sources that exist, each have substantial limitations in providing a
complete picture in measuring the current activity of, and demand for, speech pathologists in Australia.
A common comment across some jurisdictions was that while there are sufficient numbers of speech
pathologists to fill junior positions, there are insufficient numbers of more experienced speech pathologists
with specialised clinical skill sets, who are also able to manage services. One jurisdiction noted high attrition
at the senior level contributes to this, with reasons for attrition including demographics (it is a female-
dominated workforce, with people leaving or reducing hours for family reasons), limited opportunities at a
management level and limited pay progression.
Reducing average hours of work, a result of an increasing part-time workforce, was highlighted as an issue
affecting future workforce supply. The ability to provide clinical placements and sufficient practical time for
the increasing number of speech pathology students was also noted as impacting on quality of education.
Maldistribution was noted by many jurisdictions, with difficulty in attracting and retaining people to regional
locations.
The ageing population, particularly predicted increases in those with dementia and multiple co-morbidities;
increasing incidence of chronic disease; and increasing incidence of paediatric disability (for example autism
spectrum disorders) is expected to increase demand for speech pathology services.
The lack of good information on this workforce was also highlighted as an issue.
A key issue highlighted by SPA are the rapid reforms currently occurring in speech pathology service
delivery, that is resulting in a shift from public to private practice. For example, the National Disability
Insurance Scheme is seeing a withdrawal of state funding and a move to individual funding, with a
consequent shift from public sector to NGO and private provider service provision. SPA highlight that such a
shift will potentially have flow on effects for the speech pathology profession, including:
6
Speech Pathology Australia, Speech Pathology Training and Workforce in Australia – an overview, June 2014
• Loss of communication access and community capacity building programs and services.
SPA highlighted that the current attrition rate of speech pathologists is relatively high (at 13 per cent).
Research highlights reasons for this include large caseloads, reduced effectiveness due to rationing of
services, lack of autonomy, lack of career pathways, and remuneration ceilings. Additionally, SPA indicated
that the full-time speech pathology workforce peaks at approximately ten years post-graduation, then moves
to part-time.
High attrition and high levels of part-time work impact on workforce supply and capacity, including the
number of experienced practitioners able to provide more complex speech pathology services, as well as
training capacity – both in terms of clinical supervision and academic/research activity.
SPA commented that new graduates are reporting difficulties in finding full-time positions within the public
sector. Consequently many are entering private practice, with SPA concerned this could potentially lead to
even higher attrition rates, through limited job security and fewer professional supports than would
traditionally be offered to new graduates and early career speech pathologists.
Consistent with jurisdiction views, SPA indicated there is a maldistribution of speech pathologists, with more
working in metropolitan versus regional areas and even fewer speech pathologists working in rural and
remote communities. It was noted that rural and remote courses have commenced in some areas of Australia
with the intention of recruiting locals into the course with the aim they remain local and work within their
communities.
The same as jurisdictions, SPA also highlighted data gaps as a key area of concern. While information does
exist on workforce supply and workforce activity, there are substantial limitations on both sides to be able to
conduct workforce planning, or measure the need for speech pathology services.
In relation to demand for speech pathology services, SPA expect demand to increase due in part to the
effects of an ageing population, improved survival rates of premature, chronically ill and disabled infants, an
increased in the detection of early speech and language disorders and the increase in opportunities to
provide support to participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
1. An assessment of existing workforce position – used to assess whether workforce supply matches
demand for services (whether the workforce is in balance or not) at this point in time
2. A set of indicators – collectively called the workforce dynamics indicator – used to highlight
aspects of the current workforce that may be of concern into the future
3. Comparison with other occupations – ABS Census data is used to compare key characteristics of
the speech pathologist workforce with other selected health occupations.
Ideally, quantitative evidence should be used to determine whether a workforce is in balance or not at a
point in time. In the absence of suitable data, HWA consulted with jurisdictions, peak bodies and
associations, and employers to obtain their assessment of the existing workforce position of the speech
pathologist workforce. These views are incorporated within the existing workforce position assessment.
Stakeholders used the following scale to assess the existing workforce position of speech pathologist
workforces.
Perceived current shortage – that is, expressed service demand in excess of existing
Red workforce, ongoing vacancies exist, difficult/unable to fill positions, and extended waiting
times across geographic areas
Other partial measures that can be used to provide an indication of the existing workforce position of a
particular workforce are waiting times and vacancy rates.
W aiting times
Waiting times are a measure of access to a health professional – not specifically a measure of workforce
imbalance. It is for this reason that waiting times can only be used as a partial measure to demonstrate
existing workforce position. Factors other than workforce availability exist that influence waiting times and
affect its use as an indicator, including the length of time someone has to wait, as this influences their
likelihood to wait, and demand for a particular health profession.
Budget can also strongly influence waiting times for health professions primarily based in the public sector.
Budget constraints influence supply by limiting the availability of staff and directing the priorities in services,
which impacts waiting times.
Vacancy rates
Vacancy rates and duration of vacancies are often used to assess potential workforce imbalances. Vacancies
can imply there is an insufficient sized workforce as there are not enough people to fill positions available.
However, there are a range of cautions to note with using vacancy rates as a measure of workforce shortage:
• Vacancies occur as a part of normal operations due to turnover and lags in filling positions.
• Vacancies can occur for reasons other than shortage, for example: the vacancy could be in an
unattractive location; an employer may choose not to fill a vacancy for reasons such as budget
constraints; or, applicants for a position may not have sufficient experience or skills the employer is
looking for.
• Vacancy rates may also understate workforce shortage, for example positions may not be advertised
if they are not expected to be filled.
The sector in which this measure is being applied to also determines its usefulness. In the public health
sector, positions are salaried so vacancy rates can be an appropriate indicator. However in the private sector,
private practitioners often deliver services so there may be minimal identified vacancies. Other indicators
such as waiting times for a first appointment may be more appropriate for the private sector. For the reasons
above, vacancy rates can also only be used as a partial indicator – they should not solely be considered as a
measure of workforce shortage.
A number of other partial indicators can also be used to provide a picture of the existing workforce position,
including overtime rates, salaries and predicted employment growth. However for this publication, the
assessment by key stakeholders was focussed on.
Reflecting the fact allied health professionals are employed and deployed differently across jurisdictions, the
range of stakeholder views received and the difficulty in assigning weightings to stakeholders to generate a
national assessment; a single existing workforce position assessment has not been assigned for speech
pathologists. Information obtained from jurisdictions resulted in existing workforce position assessments
across the scale – from green (no current perceived shortage) through to red (perceived current shortage).
Reasons behind the perceived shortage related ratings are reflected in the workforce issues section of this
report, and particularly relate to:
Given the difficulties in adequately measuring workforce demand for speech pathologists, SPA has not made
a statement on the sufficiency of the existing workforce to meet demand. Their views on issues affecting the
speech pathology workforce are reflected in the workforce issues section of this report.
The Department of Employment also conduct research to identify skill shortages in the Australian labour
market, and publish the results of their research in individual occupation reports. The skill shortage research
methodology is based on a sample survey of employers who had recently advertised vacancies, examining
whether they were able to find suitable workers for the advertised position. Employers are identified through
sources including national and regional newspapers, online job boards, association websites, professional
journals and specialist publications.
The Department of Employment national labour market rating for speech pathologists (as at April 2013) was
‘no shortage’, the same as the previous labour market rating (at March 2012). They noted employers filled
surveyed vacancies across a range of sectors with little difficulty, and that on average, there were more than
three suitable applicants per vacancy, and most employers had good fields of applicants from whom to
choose.7
The workforce dynamics indicator (WDI) is used to highlight aspects of the current workforce that may be of
concern into the future. The WDI was adapted from Health Workforce New Zealand’s (HWNZ) medical
discipline vulnerability ranking method8, where a traffic light approach is used to score workforces against
the selected indicators.
• Average age – workforces with a higher average age are more susceptible to higher exit rates
(through retirement) with lower entry rates.
7http://docs.employment.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/252712speechpathologistaus.pdf
8Prioritisation of Medical Disciplines for Funding by Health Workforce New Zealand. <www.rnzcgp.org.nz> Accessed 3 May
2012
• Change in average hours worked – workforces with falling average weekly hours worked can be an
indicator of sufficient workforce supply, or supply exceeding demand; while workforces with
increasing hours of work can indicate supply pressures.
• Replacement rate – this item is designed to calculate the ratio of newly registered professional to
workforce exits in a given year. This indicates whether the number currently completing training is
sufficient to replace those presently leaving the workforce.
• Duration of training program – the greater the duration of training, the longer it takes to train a
replacement workforce.
The WDI provides a visual summary of the key dynamics of workforce recruitment, retention and retirement.
They provide an easily understood presentation of health workforce planning information.
Average age
As speech pathologists are classified at the 6 digit ANZSCO level, the average age cannot be calculated
from readily ABS census data. Census data shows that the median age for speech pathologists fell in the 30 -
34 age cohort. Therefore it can be estimated that the average age of speech pathologists falls within this
range, which is the lowest bracket of the workforce dynamics indicator.
The percentage of speech pathologists aged 55 years and over was 6.8 percent at 2011. This falls in the first
range in the workforce dynamics indicator score.
For employed speech pathologists, average weekly hours worked were 30.3 in both 2006 and 2011.
Therefore, there was no annual change in average hours worked, so this falls in the lowest range on the
workforce dynamics indicator score.
Replacement rate
Data on those in the speech pathologist workforce that obtained their qualification overseas is not currently
available. In lieu of this information, DIBP and Census data has been used to calculate a proxy indicator. The
proxy indicator examines the number of permanent visas granted to people nominating an occupation of
speech pathology, as a percentage of new workforce entrants.
• the number of permanent visas granted to speech pathologists over the period July 2006 to June
2011. This was 102 permanent visa grants.
• New workforce entrants, with net growth in employed speech pathologists between the 2006 and
2011 Census used as a proxy for new workforce entrants. This was 1,428.
Using the above information, the proxy indicator for dependence on ITPs is calculated to be 7.1 percent,
which falls into the first bracket on the workforce dynamics indicator rating scale.
Duration of training
This is assessed as the shortest accredited training pathway to work as a speech pathologist. For speech
pathologists, the shortest accredited training pathway is four years, which is comprised of a four year
Bachelor degree. This falls into the second bracket on the workforce dynamics indicator.
The WDI provides a visual summary of the key dynamics of workforce recruitment, retention and retirement.
They provide an easily understood presentation of health workforce planning information.
Indicator Rating
Average age
Dependence on ITPs
Duration of training
To be able to score against the WDIs, an extensive range of data is required. Where a score cannot be
allocated due to insufficient data, the indicator is not assessed.
The indicators used are basic measures only – ideally as data availability improves, more sophisticated
measures can be developed. Table 21 summarises the indicators and their score ranges.
Minimal Significant
Indicator
concern concern
Percentage aged 55+ <20% 20% – <30% 30% – <40% 40% – <50% 50%+
Replacement rate 130+ 110% – <130% 90% – 110% 70% – 90% <70%
Dependence on
internationally trained <12% 12% – 24% 25% – 37% 37% – 49% 50%+
professionals
Table 22 shows key characteristics of those employed in selected health occupations using Census data. Please note, for this comparison table, information is based
on all people who reported as being employed in the relevant occupation in the Census, regardless of their level of qualification and field of study. Compared with
the other health occupations, self-reported speech pathologists:
• had one of the lowest percentages of people aged 55 years and over (6.8 percent)
Change in
Median age % aged 55 average hours
Total
group years and over % female worked
Average hours Average hours employed
Occupation 2011 2011 2011 worked 2006 worked 2011 2006 to 2011 2011
Medical Diagnostic Radiographer 35-39 15.5 66.3 33.7 33.5 -0.2 7,289
Medical Radiation Therapist 30-34 6.7 73.0 32.2 33.4 1.2 1,634
Nuclear Medicine Technologist 30-34 5.3 68.9 34.2 34.5 0.3 604
Midwifery and Nursing Professionals 45-49 21.2 90.5 30.8 30.9 0.0 239,262
Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner 45-49 30.0 48.5 34.8 32.2 -2.5 680
Environmental Health Officer 40-44 18.6 48.5 37.5 35.2 -2.2 3,516
Occupational Health & Safety Adviser 40-44 18.2 36.8 39.5 42.0 2.6 15,272
Health Promotion Officer 40-44 18.5 81.8 32.7 31.9 -0.8 4,861
Complementary Health Therapists nec 45-49 27.6 79.8 21.8 22.3 0.5 746
Ambulance Officers and Paramedics 40-44 10.7 32.0 40.7 40.3 -0.5 11,947
Aged or Disabled Carer 45-49 26.7 82.3 26.7 27.2 0.5 108,210
Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers 45-49 22.2 79.5 28.9 28.7 -0.1 70,491
Health and Welfare Services Managers nec 45-49 27.1 72.6 40.9 40.3 -0.6 9,707
Medical Laboratory Scientist 35-39 13.0 69.5 35.9 35.2 -0.6 15,846
All health occupations(b) 40-44 20.4 76.3 32.1 31.9 -0.2 789,975
• has experienced substantial growth, particularly over the last five years
• is predominately female
• has a young age-profile, with less than 10 per cent aged 55 or over
SPA membership data reflects the key characteristics demonstrated in the census data, with almost all
practising SPA members being female, and practising members having an average age of 37 years.
The WDI assessment suggests no real areas of concern for this workforce – all indicators (except
replacement rate, which could not be assessed) were at the ‘minimal concern’ end of the WDI scale.
However a number of key issues raised as impacting the speech pathologist workforce are not reflected in
the WDI assessment.
Census data shows that there has been a shift in the sector in which speech pathologists are working. In 1996
more speech pathologists worked in the government sector than the private sector, while in 2011, more
speech pathologists were working in the private sector. SPA raised this as a key issue, which in their view, is
having a number of workforce implications (highlighted in the stakeholder issues section of this report).
In terms of the education supply stream, this is the major source of speech pathologists in Australia (with visa
grant numbers indicating immigration is not a significant supply source for the Australian speech pathologist
workforce). There have been substantial increases in speech pathology programs and students over the last
five years, with corresponding demands on clinical supervision and placements. The increasing number of
speech pathologists working in the private sector, public sector workload and prioritisation demands, as well
as high attrition rates, limits the ability to provide clinical placements and clinical supervision – noted by both
jurisdictions and SPA as an area of concern.
Retention strategies, particularly around career pathways in a changing employment environment, and
strategies to meet increasing training and clinical supervision needs from increasing numbers of students,
are therefore potential areas of investigation for this workforce.
In terms of being able to conduct workforce planning projections for the speech pathology workforce, both
jurisdictions and SPA expressed concerns about adequacy of workforce data. While information from the
ABS Census and SPA membership data is presented in this report, both have limitations for workforce
planning purposes. In particular, Census information is based on self-reported occupation, and the fact the
Census is conducted five-yearly means information can be quickly out of date (particularly in rapidly
expanding workforces) for workforce planning purposes; while SPA membership data reflects the number of
speech pathologists who are members of the association, not the total number of professionals with speech
pathology qualifications who may be living and working in Australia. Additionally, there are limitations in
being able to adequately measure speech pathologists’ activity and the current and future level of demand
for the workforce, from available data sources.
Life scientists
• 234512 Anatomist or Physiologist
• 251214 Sonographer
• 251411 Optometrist
• 251412 Orthoptist
• 252111 Chiropractor
• 252112 Osteopath
• 252211 Acupuncturist
• 252212 Homoeopath
• 252213 Naturopath
Dental Practitioners
• 252300 Dental Practitioners, nfd
• 252312 Dentist
• 252711 Audiologist
Specialist Physicians
• 253312 Cardiologist
• 253315 Endocrinologist
• 253316 Gastroenterologist
• 253318 Neurologist
• 253321 Paediatrician
• 253323 Rheumatologist
Surgeons
• 253513 Neurosurgeon
• 253515 Otorhinolaryngologist
• 253518 Urologist
• 253911 Dermatologist
• 253914 Ophthalmologist
• 253915 Pathologist
Registered Nurses
Psychologists
• 272300 Psychologists, nfd
• 272314 Psychotherapist
Medical Technicians
Other
• 251111 Dietitian
• 252511 Physiotherapist
• 252611 Podiatrist
• 253211 Anaesthetist
• 253411 Psychiatrist
• 254111 Midwife