Retaining workers in an ageing population: Insights from a representative aged and community care organisation

Aim: To provide new measures of employee retention in the aged care sector and to identify how employment retention varies across key groups of workers in the sector. Method: The techniques of survival analysis were applied to staff record data from a representative provider of aged and community ca...

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Main Authors: Austen, Siobhan, McMurray, Clinton, Lewin, Gill, Ong, Rachel
Format: Journal Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia 2013
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20411
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author Austen, Siobhan
McMurray, Clinton
Lewin, Gill
Ong, Rachel
author_facet Austen, Siobhan
McMurray, Clinton
Lewin, Gill
Ong, Rachel
author_sort Austen, Siobhan
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Aim: To provide new measures of employee retention in the aged care sector and to identify how employment retention varies across key groups of workers in the sector. Method: The techniques of survival analysis were applied to staff record data from a representative provider of aged and community care services. Results: We showed that 63% of carer employment spells end within 2 years. Fifty-seven per cent of nurse employment spells ended within this time period. Employment retention was poorest among young recruits, men and workers on casual contracts. Conclusion: The high rates of staff turnover add substantial costs and risks to aged care organisations and should be the focus of workforce strategies. Casual employment is one potential contributory factor. However, the role of wages and other working conditions should also be examined. Given the importance of mature-age women in the sector, strategies should focus on their circumstances and needs.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-204112017-09-13T13:48:57Z Retaining workers in an ageing population: Insights from a representative aged and community care organisation Austen, Siobhan McMurray, Clinton Lewin, Gill Ong, Rachel Aim: To provide new measures of employee retention in the aged care sector and to identify how employment retention varies across key groups of workers in the sector. Method: The techniques of survival analysis were applied to staff record data from a representative provider of aged and community care services. Results: We showed that 63% of carer employment spells end within 2 years. Fifty-seven per cent of nurse employment spells ended within this time period. Employment retention was poorest among young recruits, men and workers on casual contracts. Conclusion: The high rates of staff turnover add substantial costs and risks to aged care organisations and should be the focus of workforce strategies. Casual employment is one potential contributory factor. However, the role of wages and other working conditions should also be examined. Given the importance of mature-age women in the sector, strategies should focus on their circumstances and needs. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20411 10.1111/j.1741-6612.2012.00599.x Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia restricted
spellingShingle Austen, Siobhan
McMurray, Clinton
Lewin, Gill
Ong, Rachel
Retaining workers in an ageing population: Insights from a representative aged and community care organisation
title Retaining workers in an ageing population: Insights from a representative aged and community care organisation
title_full Retaining workers in an ageing population: Insights from a representative aged and community care organisation
title_fullStr Retaining workers in an ageing population: Insights from a representative aged and community care organisation
title_full_unstemmed Retaining workers in an ageing population: Insights from a representative aged and community care organisation
title_short Retaining workers in an ageing population: Insights from a representative aged and community care organisation
title_sort retaining workers in an ageing population: insights from a representative aged and community care organisation
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20411