Understanding and supporting the rural, regional, and remote AOD workforce
Citation:
Fischer JA, Kostadinov V, Bowden J. Who stays? Australian alcohol and other drug work and worker characteristics predicting regional, rural and remote job retention. Australian Journal of Rural Health. 2024; November 17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.13198
Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and associated harms are disproportionately higher in regional, rural and remote (RRR) areas of Australia. As a result, the workforce development needs of RRR AOD workers are a key priority for the sector. However, there are chronic workforce recruitment and retention challenges in RRR areas, which compound the difficulties of accessing AOD treatment outside of metropolitan centres. Workforce development initiatives to facilitate recruitment and retention are further hampered by a lack of data about the size and characteristics of the RRR workforce.
This study used data from the 2019 Australian national AOD workforce survey to examine the personal and professional characteristics of RRR AOD workers and identify factors that predict intent to remain in the AOD workforce.
Our sample comprised 447 AOD workers from RRR locations throughout Australia. The majority were female (72%), had other caring duties (52%) and personal experience of AOD use (68%). A substantial minority identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (11% vs 6% in the national workforce). Substantial numbers were part-time (35%), did not have AOD-specific qualifications (31%), and had limited access to supervision (49%) or professional development (55%). Initiatives such as flexible work hours and supported access to further training/professional development may therefore be valuable for this workforce.
While more than a third reported intense work, low levels of respect/job engagement, and high burnout, the majority were satisfied with their job. High job satisfaction, low burnout, high employment security, and high respect were found to predict intention to remain in their current position. These organisational factors are more amenable to change than individual-level characteristics, and workforce development initiatives targeting these areas could be usefully implemented to support workforce retention in RRR areas.
Read the brief report at Australian Journal of Rural Health.
