Healthcare sector suffering skills shortage

Healthcare staff are in high demand. Photo / Doug Sherring

Huge growth in healthcare vacancies has left employers struggling to fill roles.

Auckland is suffering a particular shortage in aged care workers, while Wellington is desperate for counsellors and psychologists, according to new figures released by Seek.

Job ads for medical and healthcare professionals on the employment website have increased by 9 per cent between April and June, compared with the same time last year.

The nursing sector represents the largest number of positions, taking up a third of all healthcare jobs advertised nationally.

The issue is partly caused by a growing population, and also the increasing numbers of elderly New Zealanders.

"Across the aged care sector, the demand for skilled and experienced healthcare and medical talent remains high," said recruitment specialist Debbie Glen of Frontline Health NZ.

She said that while there is a trend for more senior practitioners to move into aged care, owing to its growth potential, those in mid-level roles or just starting out do not find aged care appealing.

However, while immigration is helping fuel demand, local shortages mean overseas doctors and healthcare professionals are increasingly plugging the gaps, Glen said. Particularly hard to fill are vacancies for anaesthetists, physiotherapists, theatre nurses and those experienced in dealing with brain injuries.

While Auckland's medical vacancies rose 10 per cent in the year to June, Wellington's demand skyrocketed by 23 per cent.

As in Canterbury, the greatest demand in the capital is for counsellors, qualified social workers and psychologists. Vacancies for mental health professionals across the whole country are up by almost a third.

These figures reflect overall growth in the labour market, with job vacancies across all industries increasing by more than 11 per cent in June this year, compared with last year.

IT professionals, tradespeople and office and admin workers are the most hotly sought after.