Australia’s aged care workforce is expanding quickly, but growth has not removed the pressure on employers to find trained workers. As the population ages, demand is being driven by residential care, home care and community services that help older Australians remain independent.
Jobs and Skills Australia reports around 376,300 people employed as Aged and Disabled Carers, with annual employment growth of about 27,100 workers. The occupation is also classified as being in shortage nationally and across every state and territory in the 2025 Occupation Shortage List.
For people considering a certificate 3 in aged care, the more useful question is not simply whether jobs exist. It is where workforce pressure is strongest and what type of care is creating demand.
Why Aged Care Demand Keeps Rising
Australia is getting older. In 2024–25, around 18% of the population was aged 65 or over. That proportion is projected to reach 24% by 2065–66.
The number of Australians aged 85 and over is projected to increase even more sharply, from about 603,000 in 2024–25 to 1.9 million by 2065–66.
This matters because care needs generally become more complex with age. More Australians will require support with personal care, mobility, meals, social participation, transport and everyday living.
The workforce is already responding. Aged and Disabled Carers has been among Australia’s fastest-growing occupations, while Health Care and Social Assistance remains the country’s largest employing industry.
Demand, however, is uneven. Large states create the greatest number of jobs in absolute terms, while regional and remote areas often face greater recruitment difficulty because their labour pools are smaller.
The Aged Care Shortage Map
No single measure perfectly identifies the “most in-demand” location. A useful workforce map combines employment share, official shortage ratings and regional recruitment difficulty.
| Area | Current demand signal | What it can mean for Cert III graduates |
| New South Wales | 27.4% of Australia’s Aged and Disabled Carers work in NSW | The largest state employment base supports opportunities across residential, home and community care |
| Victoria | Around 24.5% of workers are based in Victoria | A large established care sector creates a broad range of frontline roles |
| Queensland | Around 23.0% of workers are in Queensland | A large and geographically dispersed population supports metropolitan and regional demand |
| Western Australia | Around 10.1% of workers are in WA | Smaller regional labour markets can make qualified workers particularly valuable outside Perth |
| South Australia | Around 9.8% of workers are in SA | A smaller market, but aged care remains an important source of frontline employment |
| Tasmania | Around 3.0% of workers are in Tasmania | Smaller labour pools can create staffing pressure even when total vacancy numbers are lower |
| Northern Territory | Around 1.0% of workers are in the NT | Remote service delivery and thin labour markets can make recruitment difficult |
| ACT | Around 1.2% of workers are in the ACT | A smaller market, but the national shortage rating still indicates continuing demand |
State employment shares are based on Jobs and Skills Australia occupation data.
NSW, Victoria and Queensland: The Largest Employment Markets
For sheer scale, the eastern states dominate. Together, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland account for roughly three-quarters of Aged and Disabled Carer employment.
That does not mean every suburb has equal vacancy pressure, but graduates can access a broad mix of residential facilities, home-care providers, community organisations and support services.
Large labour markets may also offer more variety in shifts and care settings. A worker might begin in residential care and later move into home care, community support or dementia-focused services as experience develops.
Regional Australia: Where Recruitment Is Often Harder
Regional Australia deserves particular attention.
Jobs and Skills Australia’s March-quarter 2026 data showed that regional employers continued to fill a lower proportion of vacancies than metropolitan employers. The metro–regional fill-rate gap widened to 4.6 percentage points.
Skill Level 3 occupations were also the hardest group to fill, with a vacancy fill rate of only 55.5%.
Aged care is particularly exposed to this challenge because many older Australians live outside capital cities.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that 22% of people living in Inner Regional Australia were aged 65 or over in 2023, compared with 16% in Major Cities.
Older people in rural and remote communities can also face greater barriers to accessing services because of distance, transport, infrastructure and workforce availability.
For graduates, this means employment opportunities may extend well beyond nursing homes to home visits, community care and support that enables older people to remain in their local communities.
Western Australia and the Northern Territory: Smaller Markets, Bigger Staffing Challenges
Western Australia and the Northern Territory demonstrate why total employment numbers do not tell the whole story.
Their aged care workforces are much smaller than those of NSW or Victoria, yet 2025 occupation shortage data shows additional pressure in some personal-care roles in these jurisdictions.
Long distances, smaller population centres and thinner local labour markets can make vacancies more difficult to fill.
For workers who are open to regional or remote employment, these areas can therefore present a different type of opportunity: fewer employers overall, but potentially stronger need for suitably trained and dependable workers.
What Qualification Do Employers Look For?
The qualification commonly described online as a certificate iii in aged care is now generally delivered through CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support, with an Ageing specialisation.
The nationally recognised qualification prepares workers to provide person-centred support in community, home or residential care settings while working under supervision or delegation.
It contains 15 units of competency, and candidates must complete at least 120 hours of work as part of the assessment requirements.
That practical component matters.
Aged care employers need workers who can apply safe practices in real care environments, communicate effectively, recognise changes in a client’s condition and provide respectful, individualised support.
Students searching for a certificate 3 in aged care should therefore check the exact qualification code and specialisation rather than relying only on the course title used in advertising.
Where Cert III Graduates Can Work
A Certificate III with an Ageing specialisation can support entry into a range of frontline care roles, depending on the employer and duties involved.
Common job titles can include:
- Aged care worker
- Personal care worker
- Community care worker
- Home care support worker
- Residential care worker
- Individual support worker
The distinction between home care and residential care is becoming increasingly important.
Demand is not limited to aged care facilities. Support is also delivered directly in homes and communities, increasing the value of workers who can travel to clients and work confidently within their scope of practice.
A driver licence, flexible availability and willingness to work early mornings, evenings or weekends can therefore broaden employment options, particularly in community and regional care.
Shortage Does Not Mean Automatic Employment
An occupation shortage should not be interpreted as a guaranteed job.
Employers still assess practical capability, communication, reliability, screening requirements and whether a candidate is suited to working with older and potentially vulnerable people.
Depending on the employer, state and particular role, workers may also need police checks, vaccinations, first aid certification or other relevant clearances.
Work placement can become an important bridge into employment because it gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their capability in a real care environment.
Location matters too.
A graduate who limits their search to one small metropolitan area may encounter a very different employment market from someone willing to consider outer suburbs, regional centres or home-care work.
What the Shortage Means for Future Graduates
The long-term direction is clear: Australia has an ageing population, a rapidly expanding care workforce and persistent difficulty filling some frontline roles.
The greatest absolute employment opportunities are likely to remain in NSW, Victoria and Queensland because those states contain the largest existing aged care workforces.
However, regional Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory can face stronger recruitment pressure relative to the size of their labour markets.
For people considering a certificate iii in aged care, the opportunity is therefore broader than simply entering a “high-demand industry”. It means entering a workforce spread across different settings, communities and locations.
Graduates who combine recognised training with strong placement experience, flexible availability and openness to community or regional work are likely to be better positioned to respond to where workforce need is greatest.
Australia does not have one aged care shortage hotspot. It has a national care workforce challenge with different local expressions.
Understanding that map can help future workers make better decisions about where they train, where they apply and the type of aged care career they want to build.