Employment trends for occupational therapists: An analysis of employment advertisements in the Sydney Morning Herald 1984–90

Abstract

Despite rapid growth in the number of occupational therapy graduates in Australia, almost no data are available concerning the demand and the expectations of employers. This study surveyed 6298 advertised positions available to occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists and counsellors in the state of New South Wales during the years 1984–90. Over this period the demand for occupational therapists grew by 53%, which exceeded the growth in demand for social workers and psychologists, but was less than that for community and mental health workers and counsellors. The employment base was found to be reasonably broad and 8% of jobs were in the private sector. The number of duties required of occupational therapists increased over time, and there was an increase in the demand for programme promotion, administration and supervision skills. The results are discussed in terms of the employment base and defining strengths of the profession, recommendations for strengthening the profession, and implications for the Australian Association of Occupational Therapists.

Is there an occupational therapy employment crisis within Australia? An investigation into two consecutive cohorts of occupational therapy graduates from a single Victorian University identifying trends in employment

“…A study completed on the first cohort of graduates (2005) from the same occupational therapy course found that 44.4% of respondents were employed in hospitals (Doherty, Stagnitti & Schoo, ). An earlier study of advertised jobs in Sydney from 1984 to 1990 showed most common employment advertised was within hospitals, 48.6%, followed by community health 29.5%, private 7.8% and welfare 7.1% (Franklin et al ., ). A more recent study in Queensland identified the number of advertisements for occupational therapy roles as being 42% in public health, 33.4% in private companies, 11.1% not for profit organisations and 6.7% in public non‐health settings (Broome & Gillen, ).…”

“…Language used to describe employment also varies significantly between data collection methods and studies which report on employment. The studies cited in this paper use varied terminology to describe what is essentially the same aspect of employment (Broome & Gillen, ; Doherty et al ., ; Franklin et al ., ). Examples of such terminology include principal role, setting, scope of practice and employment type, with varied understanding of what each of these are and then the subcategories within.…”

“…Of these, just over half were employed in the first two months post completing the course and three quarters by four months. A Queensland study (Broome & Gillen, ) and a previous Sydney study (Franklin et al ., ) reported a decline in occupational therapy jobs advertised during the December to January period, followed by a gradual increase with a peak in June to July, suggesting the first four months would be possibly the most difficult to gain employment. In this study, the majority was employed during this difficult employment period (November – March).…”

Implications of Occupational Therapy Job Advertisement Trends for Occupational Therapy Education

“…While occupational therapy employment has always been fairly broad (Franklin et al 1995), these high-demand areas may represent shifts in the profession from hospital work into primarily community-based work. This is a departure from the dominant discourse in more traditional occupational therapy texts, which focus on hospital-based skills and cases.…”

“…Occupational therapists and graduates should not necessarily expect to work under the title of 'occupational therapist', but may be employed in, for example, an interdisciplinary role, perhaps as an occupational rehabilitation consultant, manager, assessor, academic, researcher, professional development officer, hand therapist, or sales executive. There is also an increasing privatization of occupational therapy jobs, with 34.6% of job advertisements coming from the private sector (as compared with 8% in the 1980s; Franklin et al 1995). Non-traditional practice placements, of the type currently included in many accredited undergraduate occupational therapy programmes, may help students to understand and explore a variety of models of service provision.…”