Systemic Implications of Immigration Changes in Australia: Ageing Cohort Analysis and Effects

Abstract

We examine immigration, population ageing and the aged care workforce, as well as making suggestions for their effects on health, aged and social care including more localised implications. While there is now a push to reopen borders, and while numbers are rising, it is as yet unclear if the ‘old order’ will resurge or if the situation has changed for the foreseeable future. We draw on data from a variety of official sources in a developmental discussion of the current and likely future effects of labour migration patterns, workforce supply and demand issues in Australia, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. For a variety of reasons, the data used here are emergent and the effects on current and future workforce requirements will be varied at several levels. Australia’s ageing population and associated health and social care needs are dynamic in themselves, but they are also situated within a broader international context. There is a need for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of how these factors intersect and likely future scenarios.