05 Mar 2025

Understanding the Cancer Nursing Workforce - a snapshot of the changing dynamics

In 2020, CNSA advocated to incorporate cancer care as a job area that health professionals could nominate in their AHPRA registration. We have used this data to create a snapshot of the Nursing Workforce in Australia, which provides a clear overview of key trends in the nursing workforce, helping to identify shifts in workforce demographics, practice settings, and cancer nursing distribution according to cancer cases. We encourage you to explore the insights and use this data to inform discussions about workforce planning in cancer care.

There are now three full years of data on the cancer care nursing workforce available through the NHWDS. We regularly refer to this dataset to examine trends and understand the changing dynamics of the workforce, which informs our strategies aimed at supporting the sustainability of the cancer nursing workforce to deliver optimal outcomes for all people affected by cancer.

Download the below snapshot to receive a clear overview of key trends in the nursing workforce, helping to identify shifts in workforce demographics, practice settings, and cancer nursing distribution according to cancer cases.

Please note: AHPRA, in conjunction with the national boards, is responsible for the national registration process for health professions. The data from this annual registration process, together with data from a workforce survey that is voluntarily completed at the time of registration, forms the National Health Workforce Dataset (NHWDS). This data is accessible to the public through the Health Workforce Data Tool.