A national audit of the health and medical research workforce has highlighted opportunities for improvement, showing a need to improve gender equity in senior roles and increase job stability.
The independent audit, commissioned by the Department of Health and Aged Care, was released on 8 November.
Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences President Professor Louise Baur AM said the audit provided important information about the current health and medical research workforce.
“The Academy has long advocated for more information and transparency around the Australian workforce. Comprehensive and accurate information allows informed decision-making,” Professor Baur said.
“This audit is an excellent starting point and I welcome the report’s recommendation to undertake more work to understand our world-class research workforce.”
The audit highlighted a need to improve job security to support researchers to maintain and progress their careers, including longer-term contracts.
It also showed that while 52 per cent of researchers are women, only 25 per cent are in senior positions.
“One of the Academy’s key priorities is to support and nurture health and medical researchers, and that includes fighting for gender parity in leadership roles,” Professor Baur said.
“This audit confirms that there is still a glass ceiling in research, which limits not only women but people across a variety of minorities.
“The Academy is actively working on a comprehensive strategy to address these concerns, and we will be sharing more on this in 2025.”
Media: AAHMS Head of Media and Communication Katie Rowney, [email protected] or P: 07 3102 7212 M: +61 (0) 419 787 551