Care worker migration, Australia and development

Low fertility and ageing in high‐income countries will greatly increase their demands for aged care workers which are unlikely to be met from within internal labour markets. It is likely that immigration will be increasingly used to meet these labour needs. This paper analyses the situation in Australia where the number of aged care workers needed will triple over the next quarter of a century. It is shown that most such workers do not qualify for immigration under the existing skill‐driven regime. It is argued that careful consideration needs to be given to the development of a circular migration programme to partially meet these needs. Such a scheme would involve a conceptual leap by the Australian government, but there is sufficient time to develop and test a best‐practice model for such migration. This could potentially deliver a ‘triple bottom line’ not only to meet Australia's needs, but also protect the rights of and ensure benefits to the migrant workers, and assist development in home nations.