This study comes against a backdrop of a rapid rise in the number of care and support workers in recent years and represents the first, whole-of- sector examination of the care and support workforce. It considers the needs of the care and support workforce, in relation to aged, disability, veteran and mental health care, both in the near term and longer term to 2050. 

As part of the study, the National Skills Commission modelled scenarios on productivity, wages, migration and other factors. This modelling highlights the need for a holistic approach to policy development to help grow the future care workforce capacity.

A key conclusion to draw from the modelling in this study is not the size of any future workforce gap, but that ultimately the care and support workforce may need to look different in the future than it does today.