The case for action

The Australian population and workforce is ageing

The Australian population is ageing and:

  • the need for elder care is increasing: an ageing population means workers are increasingly undertaking elder care
  • working-age population growth is not keeping pace with overall population growth: over the 20 years to 30 June 2020, the working-age population grew by 31.4%, slower than the growth of the remaining population (42.2%) The slower growth in the working-ages has occurred since 2010.1

These demographic changes mean fewer people in the workforce (relative to population size) alongside an increasing need for unpaid care work.

Therefore, improving inclusion and employment for people with caring responsibilities, and enabling more people to balance work and care, will help alleviate both labour market pressures and the demand for care.2

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The case for supporting carers in the workplace

  • Supporting carers benefits business: in organisations with practices that support employees with caring responsibilities, employees experience higher work engagement and lower turnover intentions.3
  • Support for carers benefits employees: organisations with practices that support employees with caring responsibilities, employees experience higher job satisfaction and lower burnout.4
  • Caring can have a financial impact: unpaid care affects the lifetime earnings and superannuation of carers, and paid employment can help mitigate this impact.5
  • Paid work can be a source of social connection for carers: research by Carers NSW (who surveyed those who provide care and support to a family member or friend who lives with a disability, mental illness, alcohol or drug dependency, chronic condition, terminal illness or who is frail due to age.) found that 3 in 4 respondents reported that paid work provided important social connections.6 
  • Employment has a positive effect on carers’ wellbeing: research by Carer’s Australia found that employed carers were more likely to report healthy levels of wellbeing (47%) compared to carers who were unemployed (30%) and not in the workforce (42%).7
  • Discrimination against parents impacts wellbeing: Australian research showed that 42% of mothers and 20% of fathers reported experiencing discrimination due to parenthood, such as missing out on promotions or negative comments from managers or colleagues. These experiences were associated with higher occupational stress, higher turnover intentions, and poorer mental health.8

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The contents of this page were last updated in October 2025.

Overview
Leading practice

References

  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Twenty years of population change”, 17 December 2020, https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/twenty-years-population-change#working-age-population-aged-15-64-years-.
  2. Jeromey Temple et al., “Special Working Arrangements to Allow for Care Responsibilities in Australia: Availability, Usage and Barriers,” Australian Population Studies 3, no. 1 (2019): 13–29, https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.998609793582627.
  3. Myra Hamilton et al., “Accommodating Care Across the Life Course,” in The Multigenerational Workforce: Managing Age and Gender at Work, ed. Marian Baird et al. (Springer Nature, 2024), https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-5461-8_6.
  4. Hamilton et al., “Accommodating Care Across the Life Course.”
  5. Carers Australia, “Caring Costs Us: The economic impact on lifetime income and retirement savings of informal carers”, https://www.carersaustralia.com.au/programs-projects/caring-costs-us/.
  6. Carers NSW, Supporting carers in the workplace Briefing 2, May 2023, https://www.carersnsw.org.au/uploads/main/Files/3.Resources/Policy-Research/Carer-Survey/2022_National_Carer_Survey_Briefing_2_Supporting_carers_in_the_workplace.pdf.
  7. Carers Australian, Caring for Yourself and Others: Carer Wellbeing Survey 2024 Report, https://www.carersaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Final-CWS-2024-Report-compressed.pdf.
  8. Amanda Cooklin et al., “Perceived Workplace Discrimination on the Basis of Parent Status in Australia: Who Is Vulnerable and How Does It Link to Mothers’ and Fathers’ Mental Health?,” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 66, no. 7 (2024): 564, https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000003113.