ANZSCO 2514-11Northern Territory

OptometristJune 2016

Labour Economics Office Northern Territory

Department of Employment

Current labour market ratingShortage

Previous labour market rating Shortage

Comments

Current research indicates there is a shortage of Optometrists in the Northern Territory and employers are finding it difficult to attract qualified applicants to the Territory.

Survey results

  • The Department of Employment’s survey of employers who had recently advertised for optometrists shows 67 per cent of vacancies were filled within the survey period.
  • 42 per cent of the vacancies were in a regional area and of these, 100 per cent were filled. These positions were for outreach services and recruitment was predominantly done by referral, or with other appointments being walk-ins’ following the occasional promotion of the service.
  • 58 per cent of vacancies were in the metropolitan region. 43 per cent of the vacancies were filled and there were on average 1.3 applicants per vacancy of which 0.6 were considered suitable.
  • Overall, there were 1.2 applicants for each vacancy, which is a decrease from 2.1 applicants for each vacancy in 2015. Only 0.8 applicants were considered suitable per vacancy. 50 per cent of employers continued to have unfilled vacancies.
  • A number of advertised vacancies took between six to eighteen months to fill. Some employers were able to cover an extended recruitment process through having locums.
  • Smaller private employers relied on Industry publications and word of mouth referrals to fill their vacancies. Employers from larger franchises noted difficulties in attracting suitable candidates with recruitment generally managed from an interstate head office, requiring multiple advertisements and lengthy timeframes to find a suitable applicant.
  • Employers were seeking fully qualified applicants with certification, clinical skills and experience relevant to the position and commitment to relocate the Northern Territory.

Unsuitable applicants

  • All advertised vacancies required a qualification in optometry, however, 32.4 per cent of applicants were not qualified and therefore unsuitable.
  • Employers considered applicants unsuitable if they lacked working rights for Australia, did not have Australian recognised qualifications or were not registered with the Optometry Board of Australia.
  • Employers also considered applicants unsuitable if they did not have remote experience or the therapeutical qualification.

Demand and supply trends

  • All optometrists in the Northern Territory are employed in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry. 2011 Census data showed that this sector employed 10 per cent of the Northern Territory workforce.[1]
  • The current and projected changes to the Health Care and Social Assistance industry sectors show the number of people employed by the industry has decreased by 1.8 per cent over the year to May 2016, however, there is a projected growth of 12.8 per cent to November 2020.[2]
  • There has been a slightly higher demand for optometrists in the Northern Territory with employment rising by 29 per cent over the year to May 2016, averaging 104 people employed per quarter. In comparison, 81 people were employed per quarter over the year to May 2015. [3]
  • According to the Department’s Internet Vacancy Index (IVI), advertised vacancies for optometrists (including orthoptists), in the 2016 financial year was five which is an increase from the 2015 financial year where there were no recorded advertised vacancies.[4] This is supported by anecdotal feedback from employers who advised they advertise through word of mouth, their own websites and professional networks.
  • The Optometry Board of Australia registrant data for March 2016 show that there are a total of 30 optometrists registered with their principal place of practice in the Northern Territory.[5]
  • 29were general registrations, and one was a non-practising physiotherapist.
  • The Northern Territory accounts for 1 per cent of all practising optometrists in Australia and 50 per cent of all practitioners were female.
  • The registration of only 30 optometrists within the Northern Territory, despite employment data showing an average of 104 optometrists and orthoptists employed in the Northern Territory, supports employer feedback that the optometry workforce is supplemented by a large locum/itinerant optometry workforce.
  • The pathway to becoming a qualified optometrist is through completion of a degree in optometry or vision science, followed by a related Master's degree and registration with the Optometry Board of Australia. There are no relevant courses available in Northern Territory with supply to the occupation coming from four interstate universities.
  • Medicare Australia data shows the specific number of optometrical consultations provided in the Northern Territory increased from 63,357 in the June 2015 financial year to 64,955 in the June 2016 financial year.[6] This equates to a 2.5 per centincrease in demand for optometry consultation services under Medicare.

Other indicators and issues

  • Optometrists work predominantly in public or private clinics, consulting rooms or in private businesses. In the Northern Territory some of these Employers provide outreach programs servicing up to 12 remote communities.
  • Some employers noted the difficulties in attracting suitable candidates to the Northern Territory with lengthy timeframes required to find a suitable applicant, especiallysomeone with remote experience and therapeutical qualifications.
  • Some employers are able to cover an extended recruitment process through having locums.
  • Some employers referred to the introduction of two new schools of optometry, noting the potential for this to alleviate occupational shortages, however, attracting graduates to the Northern Territory was still considered a difficulty.
  • The 100 per cent fill rate in regional areas reflects an outreach service which doesn’t advertise positions and relies on word of mouth. These positions are filled by qualified professionals who enter employment contractswith varying terms.

Labour Economics Office Northern Territory

Department of Employment

[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011 Census Data, Northern Territory occupation data

[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Data by State Industry (May 2016); and Australian Government Labour Market Information Portal “Regional Projections – interactive tool”

[3] ABS Labour Force Data by State Occupation (May 2016): Note: data for the NT is subject to high statistical variability and should be used with caution.

[4] Department of Employment Internet Vacancy Index data, June 2016, 12 month moving average.

[5] Optometry Board of Australia registrant data March 2016.

[6]Medicare Australia Statistics, Department of Human Services, MBS category by group/subgroup (July 2015 to June 2016)