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Australian Disability Support Worker Shortage Report 2027
Based on original analysis of 1,971 active Support Network worker records
More workers, but persistent geographic and retention pressure
376,300 Aged and Disabled Carers nationally • Persistent shortage classification
Jobs and Skills Australia identifies Aged and Disabled Carers as a persistent shortage occupation and reports approximately 376,300 people employed, with annual employment growth of approximately 27,100.
Historical recruitment data showed around 3,500 online advertisements for Aged and Disabled Carers in April 2025, approximately 70.7% above the monthly average recorded in 2019. Around 45% were outside capital cities.
The NDIS Review has also identified workforce attraction and retention as major issues, with estimated annual disability-worker turnover of approximately 17%-25%.
Support Network supply snapshot
Comparing Support Network's recent worker distribution with the national occupation provides a useful indication of where registrations are disproportionately strong or weak. It is not, by itself, a direct measure of shortage.
Queensland represents around 23% of Australia's Aged and Disabled Carer workforce but approximately 12.6% of geographically identifiable Support Network records in this dataset. Tasmania and the ACT are substantially more represented in Support Network registrations than in the established occupation.
Building a better shortage index
The most useful future measure is client demand divided by available suitable workers at postcode or suburb level. This can incorporate availability, skills, travel distance and participant requirements rather than relying on national worker headcounts.
Regional and retention pressure
A worker in Western Sydney cannot solve a shortage in regional Queensland. Recruitment is also only the beginning: retention, reliable hours, career pathways and efficient matching all influence effective workforce supply.
| State | Support Network | National occupation |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | 33.1% | 27.4% |
| VIC | 19.3% | 24.5% |
| QLD | 12.6% | 23.0% |
| SA | 8.7% | 9.8% |
| WA | 7.9% | 10.1% |
| TAS | 8.7% | 3.0% |
| NT | 2.1% | 1.0% |
| ACT | 7.7% | 1.2% |
Methodology & sources
Research base: Support Network proprietary analysis of 1,971 active worker records created between July and 2 October 2026, supplemented with Australian Government data.
Government sources: Jobs and Skills Australia Aged and Disabled Carers occupation profile and workforce research; Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers 2022; NDIS Review and NDIA workforce/pricing material; Fair Work Ombudsman guidance where relevant.
Limitations: Support Network's database is a proprietary platform dataset and is not a statistically representative survey of every Australian support worker. Results based on incomplete fields use the number of usable observations. Personally identifying information is excluded.
Suggested citation: Support Network, Australian Disability Support Worker Shortage Report 2027, 2027.
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