Aged Care Wages Research

Consultation

Invitation to participate

Providers of facility-based and home-based aged care across Australia are invited to participate in this project. The project presents a valuable opportunity to contribute to one of the first sector-wide evidence bases examining the impact of the Aged Care Work Value Case wage increases on workforce retention and turnover.

In recognition of their contribution, providers will receive a confidential individual benchmarking report that analyses their workforce data and benchmarks outcomes against aggregated sector trends and industry averages. All provider-level data and results will remain strictly confidential, and individual reports will only be shared with the participating provider.

What will be needed from providers

Following discussions with the project team, participating providers will receive a data request outlining the types of information we are seeking.  This will likely include data from payroll and human resources systems, as well as information about each provider’s operations. Equity Economics will be seeking data covering the period before and after implementation of the award wage increases.

Equity Economics will work closely with participating providers to understand systems, identify and navigate any data limitations, support data extraction and ensure data is correctly understood and interpreted.

Data security, confidentially and privacy are of paramount importance for this project. Data will be required to be fully de-identified before it is shared with the project team. There will be formal protocols in place governing data storage, access, use, and destruction. Participating providers will have an opportunity to provide input on these protocols.

Sector workshops and one-on-one support

Our objective is to make participation as easy as possible by collecting data in a way that minimises burdens for providers and protects the confidentiality of data.

Over the coming weeks, Equity Economics and HumanAbility will meet with providers, peak bodies and unions to introduce the project, explain what participation involves, and address any organisation-specific questions.

Providers who express interest in participating will also be invited to more detailed sector workshops and one-on-one support sessions to discuss the data request and data confidentiality protocols, and to inform and shape the analysis. Each participating provider will be given a primary contact on the Equity Economics team for the duration of the project.

Project Overview

Background

Workforce shortages remain a major challenge for Australia’s care and support economy, particularly in the aged care sector where difficulties in recruiting and retaining workers can impact service capacity, continuity of care and workforce stability.

The Aged Care Work Value Case led to a 15 per cent increase in award wages for many aged care workers, including personal care workers, home care workers and nurses working in the aged care sector. The Commonwealth Government committed to fund these wage increases as part of its broader aged care reform agenda.

Project objectives and timelines

HumanAbility has commissioned Equity Economics to undertake the Aged Care Wages Research project. The project aims to collect and analyse data on wage and retention outcomes to assess the extent to which the wage increases have affected retention in the aged care workforce. It is anticipated that findings from this analysis will strengthen the evidence base for workforce policy, planning and stewardship across the sector.

The project will run from August to November 2026. During the initial phase, HumanAbility and Equity Economics will engage with aged care providers, industry bodies and unions to discuss the project, gather early insights, and confirm participating providers. Throughout September, participating providers will be asked to share workforce data on a confidential and de-identified basis. Data analysis will occur during October, with findings consolidated into a final report to be delivered in mid-November.