Profile

The Department is one of Tasmania’s largest employers and offers a diverse range of rewarding careers.

The Department relies on the dedication and skill of its workforce to deliver highquality care for all Tasmanians. Our people work in a wide range of occupations and locations and are involved in direct health and human service delivery or in support of those services.

Workforce profile

As at 30 June 2006, there were 10 487 paid people working with the Department in 8 685 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. Females made up almost 75 per cent of the Department’s workforce, a trend reflected nationally across the health and human service system.

In recent years, considerable investment has been made to increase the capacity of the workforce. Since 2002–03, both the number of paid employees and the number of FTE positions have increased.

Number of paid employees as at 30 June 2006

More specifically, since 2002–03, the number of doctors has increased by 28 per cent, nurses by 17 per cent, allied health professionals by 24 per cent, ambulance officers by 22 per cent and dentists by 20 per cent.

Health Professionals by stream at 30 June 2006

Fundamental to the continued provision of sustainable health and human services is the development of a stable but flexible workforce. Figure 3 demonstrates that almost 70 per cent of the Department’s staff is employed on a permanent basis.

Staff composition

* Officers appointed under part six of the State Service Act 2000, which includes Heads of Agencies, Prescribed Office Holders and Senior Executives

A challenge for the long-term sustainability in Tasmania is the ageing of the
population and the health workforce. The Department’s current workforce profile shows that one third of its employees are aged 50 years and over, one third are aged between 40 and 50 years, and another third are under 40 years of age.

Each of these workforce cohorts are important in providing services needed by the community now and into the future. The anticipated rise in retirements of older staff highlights the need to ensure skills transfer and consideration of the best models of care, to ensure quality service delivery is sustained. The rise in retirements also sharpens the focus on staff recruitment and retention.

At a national level, the Department is involved in a number of initiatives to
strengthen the health workforce, particularly those being progressed through
the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).